US Education Department is investigating potential civil rights violations at three institutions that allowed transgender athletes to compete on women’s teams, amid President Donald Trump’s efforts to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports.
President Trump signed an executive order last week intended to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports. The review of universities comes a day after the signing of this executive order.
San Jose State University is being investigated over a player who participated on the women’s volleyball team, while the University of Pennsylvania is investigating Lia Thomas, the first openly transgender athlete to win a Division I title in 2022. The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association is also under investigation after allowing a transgender athlete to compete on a girls’ high school basketball team.
The Education Department opened these reviews over suspected violations of Title IX, which bars sex discrimination in education. However, opening an inquiry does not mean that the institution has done anything wrong, according to department policy.
Advocates for transgender students have condemned the investigations, saying they are a gross abuse of power and violate civil rights protections. They claim that transgender athletes should be protected under Title IX and that sports bans targeting trans women harm every woman or girl who doesn’t fit sex-based stereotypes.
The Education Department has shifted its priorities to align with President Trump’s agenda on issues like antisemitism and gender identity, which includes banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports.
Source: https://www.espn.com/college-sports/story/_/id/43721309/penn-sjsu-draw-inquiries-amid-trump-ban-trans-athletes