Schools that fail to comply will face investigations by the U.S. Department of Education and could lose federal funding.
President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Wednesday calling for the end of men playing in women’s sports.
The “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” order is aimed at upholding federal Title IX rules—established in 1972 to set a level playing field for women’s athletics programs.
It will put a stop to “dangerous and unfair” situations where males compete against females in school and amateur athletics, according to a White House official.
The new guidelines are intended to “preserve the rights and dignity for women, opportunities for young girls.”
Trump is demanding that women be provided equal opportunities in terms of safety, fairness, and privacy. His order points to the benefits of athletics for young girls, including higher self-esteem and fewer instances of drug use, obesity, and teenage pregnancy.
Schools that fail to comply will face investigations by the U.S. Department of Education and could lose federal funding, according to the new order.
Denver East High School is one such school, the White House official said. Investigators are looking into decisions it made to eliminate some women’s restrooms and turn them into coed spaces.
Funds provided through Title IX are dependent on a school’s commitment to preventing discrimination based on sex, among other things.
The Trump administration says it is working with sporting bodies, including a host of associations and organizations, to collectively identify ways to protect women.
Officials are asking the National Collegiate Athletics Association to review its policies. More than 7,000 female collegiate athletes have come forward demanding that male athletes be removed from their competitions, the order notes.
A group of state attorneys general will convene at the White House soon to discuss how state laws on the issue can be enforced, the official said.
Schools and universities that allow men who identify as women to compete in female athletics could face lawsuits from female students who say they have been negatively affected, the official noted.
