'Men do not belong in women's sports': Transgender athletes face visa ban under Trump’s ‘fairness in sports’ executive order
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "'Men do not belong in women's sports': Transgender athletes face visa ban under Trump’s ‘fairness in sports’ executive order")
Donald Trump joined by women athletes signs the “No Men in Women’s Sports” executive order at the White House Photograph: (AFP)
According to the new policy, male-born athletes, including transgender women, will be considered ineligible if their goal is to compete in women's sports in the US
In a contentious policy shift, the Trump administration is set out to deny US visas to transgender women athletes who are looking to compete in women's sports, arguing that 'Men do not belong in Women's sports'. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) this week announced that it had revised its policy to limit access to some of the premium visa categories, such as O-1A visas for people with extraordinary ability and work-based immigrant visas (E11, E21), to biological women only.
Male-born athletes, including transgender women, will be deemed ineligible under the new policy if the reason for which they are applying is to compete in women's sports in the US. The move is a direct reaction to Executive Order 14201, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," signed by President Trump earlier this year in February.
"Men do not belong in women's sports. USCIS is closing the loophole for foreign male athletes whose only chance at winning elite sports is to change their gender identity and leverage their biological advantages against women," said USCIS Spokesperson Matthew Tragesser. "It's a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth that only female athletes receive a visa to come to the US to participate in women's sports. The Trump Administration is standing up for the silent majority who've long been victims of leftist policies that defy common sense," he said.
The justification for the action, according to officials, is to safeguard the integrity, safety, and fairness of female athletics. The policy revision also redefines how USCIS assesses the achievements of foreign players. It says that any fame achieved through competing with women as a transgender woman will be considered an adverse factor in visa consideration even if such players have gained international recognition.
Under the new directive, the agency has spelled out that it will not view transgender women's inclusion in women's sports as advancing the US national interest. The policy is the first where gender identity has been expressly cited as a reason to deny admission to the United States under the immigration system.
Legal experts indicate that the action is also likely to unleash a flurry of lawsuits, particularly if visa petitions are rejected outright because of gender identity, potentially raising constitutional and international human rights issues. Trump signed the "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order in February 2025 to safeguard opportunities for women and girls to compete in safe and fair sports.
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"It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy. It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women's sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth," the White House said.
