The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, which oversees primarily small colleges, has recently implemented a policy prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
The policy was approved by the NAIA’s Council of Presidents in a unanimous 20-0 vote on Monday.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has taken a different approach in addressing the issue compared to the International Olympic Committee. While the IOC has implemented a ban on transgender participation in women’s sports, the NCAA, which oversees most larger colleges and universities, does not have such a ban. Instead, in 2022, the NCAA adopted a sport-by-sport policy to address any concerns or challenges related to transgender participation.
NAIA President & CEO Jim Carr stated that they are fully committed to promoting fair competition for student-athletes. He emphasized the importance of creating an environment that is both equitable and respectful for all participants, including NAIA member institutions, conferences, and student-athletes. Taking into account the input received from member institutions and the Transgender Task Force, the NAIA’s Council of Presidents has reaffirmed their course of action.
According to the policy, any athlete can engage in NAIA-sponsored male sports. However, only individuals who were assigned female at birth and have not begun hormone therapy are eligible to participate in women’s sports.
Athletes who have already started hormone therapy must inform the NAIA national office, but they can still take part in workouts, practices, and team activities.
The NAIA organization has announced that starting from August 1, a new policy will be implemented, which will be applicable to all sports except for cheer and dance. These two categories are classified separately within the NAIA.
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the largest LGBTQ rights organization in the country, strongly criticized the policy, stating that it undermines the fundamental fairness that all student-athletes deserve.
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, criticized the decision made by the NAIA to exclude a specific group of individuals from participating in competitions. She argued that this move was a result of a right-wing campaign aimed at distorting the truth about transgender athletes, while failing to provide any support for women’s sports.
“The mind, body, and spirit all reap the rewards of participating in sports, a fact that is widely acknowledged. Every student, regardless of their gender identity, should have the chance to join a team and gain valuable lessons in sportsmanship, self-discipline, perseverance, and so much more,” stated Robinson.
Since 2020, a total of 24 states have implemented laws that explicitly prohibit transgender athletes from participating in school sports teams that align with their gender identity.
