VHSL bans transgender women from women’s high school sports teams after Trump’s executive order
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- On Monday, the Virginia High School League (VHSL) announced that it is complying with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that effectively bans transgender women from playing on women’s sports teams. Effective Monday, Feb. 10, high school athletes assigned male at birth will no longer be able to compete in the VHSL if they are playing on a women's team, per the organization's new policies. "It's a huge gut punch to the families that we work with, to the young people who just want to belong and be in welcoming environments," said Shannon McKay, executive director of He She Ze and We, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization. The executive order, titled "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports," aims to keep those assigned male at birth from playing on girl's and women's sports teams. It does this, in part, by keeping federal funding from programs that allow such players on their women's teams. Trump choosing to name the order that way sets the tone for this policy decision, according to McKay. Judge pauses Trump’s ban on gender-affirming care for youth after lawsuit "That [wording] is extremely degrading -- and it wrongly depicts transgender girls," McKay said. In the order, Trump states that this executive action is meant to protect cisgender women and girls. “[Trans women playing on women's teams] is demeaning, unfair and dangerous to women and girls and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports,” Trump wrote. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) urged VHSL to follow the order via Facebook on Feb. 7, writing: "Biological boys should not be competing against girls. This is just common sense. The Virginia High School League must change course immediately just like the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). Virginia schools are at risk of losing millions of dollars in federal school funding if the VHSL doesn’t comply with President Trump’s Executive Order protecting girls sports." Three days later, on Monday, VHSL announced its decision. McKay said the previous policy has worked fine for the past 10 years. "If you're transgender and you would like to play on the team that aligns with your gender identity, you have to actually apply -- and there is a process that you have to go through," she explained. Richmond School Board neglected fraud tiplines, left email unread for at least 10 years VHSL data shows that there have been 29 appeals -- or applications to play -- made by transgender athletes in the past 3 years. Twenty were filed by transgender boys and only nine by transgender girls. Notably, Trump's executive order makes no mention of transgender men and their participation on men's teams. Accordingly, when the NCAA updated its own policies, it did not make changes preventing athletes who were assigned female at birth from playing on men's teams. “This is really only attacking trans girls,” McKay said.
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- On Monday, the Virginia High School League (VHSL) announced that it is complying with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order that effectively bans transgender women from playing on women’s sports teams.
Effective Monday, Feb. 10, high school athletes assigned male at birth will no longer be able to compete in the VHSL if they are playing on a women's team, per the organization's new policies.
"It's a huge gut punch to the families that we work with, to the young people who just want to belong and be in welcoming environments," said Shannon McKay, executive director of He She Ze and We, an LGBTQ+ advocacy organization.
The executive order, titled "Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports," aims to keep those assigned male at birth from playing on girl's and women's sports teams. It does this, in part, by keeping federal funding from programs that allow such players on their women's teams.
Trump choosing to name the order that way sets the tone for this policy decision, according to McKay.
Judge pauses Trump’s ban on gender-affirming care for youth after lawsuit
"That [wording] is extremely degrading -- and it wrongly depicts transgender girls," McKay said.
In the order, Trump states that this executive action is meant to protect cisgender women and girls.
“[Trans women playing on women's teams] is demeaning, unfair and dangerous to women and girls and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports,” Trump wrote.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) urged VHSL to follow the order via Facebook on Feb. 7, writing:
"Biological boys should not be competing against girls. This is just common sense. The Virginia High School League must change course immediately just like the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association). Virginia schools are at risk of losing millions of dollars in federal school funding if the VHSL doesn’t comply with President Trump’s Executive Order protecting girls sports."
Three days later, on Monday, VHSL announced its decision.
McKay said the previous policy has worked fine for the past 10 years.
"If you're transgender and you would like to play on the team that aligns with your gender identity, you have to actually apply -- and there is a process that you have to go through," she explained.
Richmond School Board neglected fraud tiplines, left email unread for at least 10 years
VHSL data shows that there have been 29 appeals -- or applications to play -- made by transgender athletes in the past 3 years. Twenty were filed by transgender boys and only nine by transgender girls.
Notably, Trump's executive order makes no mention of transgender men and their participation on men's teams. Accordingly, when the NCAA updated its own policies, it did not make changes preventing athletes who were assigned female at birth from playing on men's teams.
“This is really only attacking trans girls,” McKay said.
