On Monday, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics made a significant move against transgender athletes when the organization effectively banned transgender women from competing in women’s sports. And one activist organization is furious at the decision.
The NAIA announced a new transgender participation policy on Monday, announcing that all athletes are permitted to participate in NAIA-sponsored male sports but only athletes whose biological sex assigned at birth is female and who have not begun hormone therapy will be allowed to compete in women’s sports.
Shiwali Patel, senior counsel at the National Women’s Law Center, made it clear that her organization is outraged by this move from the NAIA.
“This is unacceptable and blatant discrimination that not only harms trans, nonbinary and intersex individuals, but limits the potential of all athletes,” Patel said in a statement. “It’s important to recognize that these discriminatory policies don’t enhance fairness in competition. Instead, they send a message of exclusion and reinforce dangerous stereotypes that harm all women.”
Patel went on to explain that this rule change “emphasizes the urgency in having clear Title IX rules that expressly prohibit this type of sex-based discrimination, and ensure the rights of all students, including transgender, nonbinary, and intersex athletes, are safeguarded. Trans athletes deserve a chance to play.”
The NAIA governs college athletics at 241 smaller institutions throughout the country, most of which are private institutions with religious affiliations, to varying degrees.
[ESPN]
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