Public Comment
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United StatesCivil RightsEducation

Many sports use separate boys' and girls' or men's and women's categories. The dispute is how those categories should apply to transgender athletes. Related policies can use terms such as assigned female at birth or open division when defining eligibility. Title IX applies to schools that receive federal funds, including school sports. In February 2025, the White House issued an order directing federal agencies to oppose transgender girls' and women's participation in girls' and women's sports. The NCAA then changed its college policy so women's competition is limited to student-athletes assigned female at birth. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee later moved to align Olympic-linked sports with that federal policy. In 2026, USA Rugby adopted men's, women's, and open divisions, with the women's division limited to athletes assigned female at birth. People disagree because the issue brings together fairness in girls' and women's sports, safety in contact sports, equal treatment of transgender students, privacy, local control, and the practical work of running teams and events. Rank the approaches you think best balance fair competition, inclusion, safety, privacy, and practical rules for schools and sports organizations.

What approach should schools and sports organizations use for transgender athlete participation in girls' and women's sports?

Overall results

1
62% support · excluded by 2%
5

This option gives schools a way to support student participation without treating every age group like elite competition.

4

A level-based compromise can protect high-stakes women's competitions while keeping more young people connected to school and community sports.

2
50% support · excluded by 5%
4

A single national rule would be easier for schools and leagues to apply, and it would reduce disputes between states, conferences, and events.

4

Supporters of this approach say the women's category needs a clear boundary so athletes know the rules before they train, travel, or accept scholarships.

3
50% support · excluded by 11%
7

If open divisions are real and funded, they may reduce exclusion without forcing every dispute into the women's category.

5

Open divisions could give every athlete a clear place to compete while keeping the men's and women's divisions easier to define.

4
46% support · excluded by 4%
7

This approach can avoid turning every school team into a national political fight while still letting higher-level sports set stricter standards.

4

Different sports have different levels of contact, strength, speed, and team size, so one rule may fit swimming poorly and rugby poorly in different ways.

5
41% support · excluded by 7%
5

Clear standards and appeal rights can protect athletes from arbitrary decisions while still giving leagues tools to handle difficult cases.

4

Private review can weigh fairness, safety, privacy, and the athlete's situation without making one public rule decide every case.

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Anonymous

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