Trump signs order barring transgender athletes from women’s sports

Washington: United States President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to bar transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.

Under the order signed on Wednesday, federal government funding will be denied to educational institutes that allow trans girls and women to participate in female sports and use female locker rooms.

The order also directs government agencies to promote sex-based female sports categories at international organisations and convene representatives of major athletic organisations and governing bodies to promote “policies that are fair and safe, in the best interests of female athletes”.

“We are putting every school receiving taxpayer dollars on notice: If you let men take over women’s sports teams or invade your locker rooms, you will be investigated for violations of Title IX and risk your federal funding,” Trump said, referring to a 1972 law that bars sex discrimination in education.

Declaring an end to “the war on women’s sport”, Trump said his administration would not “stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes”.

GLADD, one of the biggest LGBTQ rights organisations in the US, condemned Trump’s order, calling it “inaccurate and incoherent”.

“All women and girls, including transgender women and girls, should be welcome to play sports if they want, make decisions about their own bodies, be hired for jobs they are qualified for, and be free from lawless attacks by extremists in elected office,” the group said in a statement.