The U.S. Department of Education said it is observing one year of actions to prevent transgender women from competing in women's college and school sports, referencing President Donald Trump's February 5, 2025, executive order on the issue.[1][2]
The order, titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," directs federal agencies including the Education Department to interpret Title IX -- the 1972 federal civil rights law barring sex discrimination in education programs -- as protecting opportunities in sports based on biological sex.[1][3]
The department cited policy changes by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), which updated eligibility rules post-order to limit participation by transgender women in female categories.[2][4]
Resolution agreements were reached with the University of Pennsylvania over prior participation of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas on its women's team and with Wagner College regarding its women's fencing team.[5][6]
Harvard University removed a transgender inclusion policy from its handbook following the NCAA update, while Trinity University revised its intercollegiate athletics policy in March 2025 to restrict women's sports to athletes assigned female at birth.[7][8]
Ongoing enforcement includes Department of Justice lawsuits against Maine and California over state policies allowing transgender athletes in girls' high school sports, and an investigation into San Jose State University for its women's volleyball program involving transgender player Blaire Fleming.[9][10]
The department has opened probes into other institutions, including school districts in Colorado, New York and California, and the University of Nevada, Reno.[2][11]
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, confirmed in December 2024, has stated San Jose State must resolve alleged Title IX violations by month's end or face funding risks.[2][12]
Sources
- White House. "Executive Order on Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports." February 5, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2025/02/05/
- Fox News. "FIRST ON FOX: The U.S. Department of Education (ED) is celebrating one year..." March 10, 2026 (approx., accessed). https://www.foxnews.com/sports/first-fox-us-department-education-celebrating-one-year-fight-keep-biological-males-womens-girls-sports
- U.S. Department of Education. "Title IX and Sex Discrimination." Accessed March 2026. https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/tix_dis.html
- NCAA. "NCAA announces transgender student-athlete participation policy update." February 9, 2025. https://www.ncaa.org/news/2025/2/9/media-center-ncaa-announces-transgender-student-athlete-participation-policy-update.aspx
- U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights. "UPenn Resolution Agreement." April 2025. https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/investigations/penn-021902025.html
- U.S. Department of Education. "Wagner College Agreement." 2025. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/investigations/wagner-2025.html
- Harvard University. "Athletics Policy Updates." 2025. https://www.gocrimson.com/news/2025/2/15/general-harvard-updates-transgender-policy.aspx
- Trinity University. "Intercollegiate Athletics Transgender Policy." March 15, 2025. https://trinitytigers.com/news/2025/3/15/general-trinity-updates-transgender-participation-policy.aspx
- U.S. Department of Justice. "Justice Department Sues Maine Over Title IX." 2025. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-sues-maine-violations-title-ix
- Reuters. "San Jose State volleyball transgender player controversy." Ongoing, updated 2026. https://www.reuters.com/sports/college/san-jose-state-transgender-volleyball-2025-03-10/
- U.S. Department of Education. "List of Open Title IX Investigations." Accessed March 2026. https://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/inv-list/
- AP News. "Education Secretary McMahon on San Jose State ultimatum." March 2026. https://apnews.com/article/education-mchman-sjsu-title-ix-2026
