Youngkin urges VHSL to follow executive order banning transgender women from women’s high school sports teams

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Virginia High School League (VHSL) has announced that it is reviewing President Donald Trump's recent executive order that would prevent transgender women from playing on women's high school sports teams.

On Wednesday, Feb. 5, Trump issued an executive order meant to keep those assigned male at birth from playing on girl's and women's sports teams. It does this by, in part, keeping federal funding from programs that do not comply.

"[Trans women participating on these 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 in the order.

On Thursday, Feb. 6, a spokesperson for the VHSL told 8News that it would maintain its current policy, allowing transgender women to participate in women's high school sports teams.

NCAA bans transgender women student-athletes from women’s teams

"We have not seen or received anything regarding the Executive Order," Mike McCall, the VHSL's director of communications, said. "We will continue following the current policy and the current law in Virginia."

However, on Friday, Feb. 7, McCall clarified that they were taking time to review the executive order.

"We need time to review the EO and have discussions with our Executive Committee to discuss the implications of the EO," McCall told 8News via email. "That communication is taking place, but it does take time to have those discussions. In the end we will follow the law."

Later that same day, Governor Glenn Youngkin made a social post on X, urging VHSL to follow the executive order.

"Biological boys should not be competing against girls. This is just common sense," Youngkin's post reads. "The Virginia High School League must change course immediately just like the NCAA. 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."

This comes after the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) changed its own policies to prevent those assigned male at birth from participating on women's teams at the college level.