The National Collegiate Athletic Association has announced a policy that will only allow athletes whose biological sex is female to participate in women's sports.
On Monday, the National Intercollegiate Athletics Association, which governs mostly small universities, announced a policy that would effectively ban transgender athletes from women's sports.
The NAIA Council of Presidents approved the policy on Monday in a 20-0 vote, according to CBS Sports. The NAIA, which oversees about 83,000 athletes at schools nationwide, is believed to be the first collegiate sports organization to take such a step.
According to the transgender participation policy, all athletes are allowed to participate in NAIA-sponsored men's sports, but only athletes whose biological sex is female and who have not started hormone therapy are allowed to participate in women's sports. .
Students who begin hormone therapy may participate in activities such as workouts, practices, and team activities, but cannot participate in interscholastic competitions.
“With the exception of competitive cheer and competitive dance, NAIA has created separate categories for male and female participants,” the NAIA said. “Each NAIA sport involves some combination of strength, speed, and stamina that provides male student-athletes with a competitive advantage. As a result, NAIA's policy toward transgender student-athletes is Applies to all sports except competitive cheer and competitive dance.'' Dear Students. ”
The topic has become a hot topic among conservative groups and others who believe transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete on women's and women's sports teams. Last month, more than a dozen current and former women's college athletes filed a federal lawsuit against the NCAA, accusing the college sports governing body of violating their rights by allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports. .
