Happy New Year 2025

Tag: trans

NCAA VP suggests changes are coming to trans athlete policy after Trump’s executive order is signed

With President Donald Trump set to sign an executive order banning trans athletes from girls’ and women’s sports on Wednesday, the NCAA is already bracing for a potential change to its current rules that allow trans athletes to compete with women.

Vice president of the NCAA’s Eligibility Center, Felicia Martin, spoke at a congressional briefing in Washington on Wednesday to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day and suggested that the NCAA Board of Governors is already discussing potential policy changes after Trump’s executive order goes into effect.

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“We know that this is an issue and a national conversation happening around participation,” she said. “The Board of Governors is right now having conversations about what potential next steps night be, but this is absolutely one of those issues that is ongoing, but without a national standard that can be applied across the board, all of us are making decisions based on what we think is the best for student athletes and opportunities.”

Martin added that she expects more clarity on a national standard later in the day from Trump. She also said that the Board of Governors would make its decisions on any policy changes based on the specific details of the executive order.

In addition to Trump’s executive order, the NCAA may get even more clarity on an incoming federal standard if the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act passes through Congress. The bill, which would ban federal funding for any institution that allows trans athletes in girls’ and women’s sports, has already made it through the House of Representatives.

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The NCAA has had a policy in place to allow trans athletes to compete against women dating back to 2010. The 2010 NCAA Policy on Transgender Student-Athlete Participation states that biologically male athletes are allowed to compete in the women’s category after undergoing at least one year of testosterone suppression treatment.

This policy has resulted in multiple lawsuits against the NCAA and its member schools. Former NCAA swimmer and current conservative activist Riley Gaines is currently leading a lawsuit over her experience of having to compete with and share a locker room with trans swimmer Lia Thomas at the 2022 national championships. She is joined by several other women athletes who have also been affected by trans inclusion.

Another lawsuit was filed Tuesday evening, when three of Thomas’ former UPenn teammates came forward with their own experiences of having to share a team and locker room with Thomas and were allegedly gaslit by their university administrators and fed pro-trans ideology.

NCAA President Charlie Baker addressed concerns over the issue of female athletes having to share teams and locker rooms with trans athletes during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in December. There, Baker insisted that female athletes have the option to find other accommodations if they’re uncomfortable sharing with transgenders.

“Everybody else should have an opportunity to use other facilities if they wish to do so,” Baker said.

Baker also says that the NCAA’s policies that allow trans athletes to compete against women are based on federal standards.

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

Baker has also attempted to downplay the scale of the issue. Baker addressed the issue again during an interview on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show” days after the hearing. When McAfee asked Baker how the parents of daughters should feel about trans athletes in women’s sports and the NCAA’s record on it, Baker said, “There are 510,000 college athletes playing in the NCAA, there are less than 10 transgender athletes, so it’s a small community to begin with.”

However, despite that statistic, the issue has become a national debate over the last year, with several other instances of it happening at the youth and high school level, prompting national outrage.

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A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don’t think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports.

Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.

The issue is even believed to have affected the outcome of the 2024 election.

Shortly after November’s election, a national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of “Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls’ and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls’ and women’s bathrooms” as important to them.

And 6% said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was “very important.”

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 5, 2025
Trans lawsuit lobbed against Trump admin based on ‘faulty interpretations’: Legal expert

As LGBT advocates and medical organizations challenge the Trump administration’s ban on transgender treatments for minors, legal expert Sarah Marshall Perry of the Heritage Foundation warns that this lawsuit is just the “tip of the iceberg,” driven by “faulty interpretations,” with more legal battles expected in the coming months.

“This is a $5 billion a year industry,” Perry said. “I would not expect what I like to call the gender ghouls to go quietly into that good night, they are going to suddenly be faced with a devastating reckoning on exactly where their bottom line lies.”

“If they want to fight for private insurance coverage through Cigna or Blue Cross Blue Shield, that’s entirely their prerogative,” Perry said, adding that these companies have “very big lobbying presences” to pursue coverage through private insurers.

LGBTQ+ ADVOCATES, FAMILIES SUE TRUMP ADMIN FOR ENDING FUNDING OF TRANSGENDER HEALTHCARE UNDER 19

LGBT advocates and medical organizations sued the Trump administration over his executive order barring federal funds from going toward trans surgeries for those under the age of 19. (Getty Images)

“There is a reason that this type of so-called medical care proliferated, and that’s because they had governmental cover,” she said.

The lawsuit was filed in Baltimore federal court and seeks an immediate injunction to delay the implementation of President Donald Trump’s executive order from last week.

“Over the past week, hospitals across the country have abruptly halted medical care for transgender people under nineteen, canceling appointments and turning away some patients who have waited years to receive medically necessary care for gender dysphoria,” the lawsuit reads.

“This sudden shutdown in care was the direct and immediate result of an Executive Order that President Trump issued on January 28, 2025 — Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation — directing all federal agencies to ‘immediately take appropriate steps to ensure that institutions receiving Federal research or education grants end gender-affirming medical care for people under nineteen (the ‘Denial of Care Order’).”

The group of plaintiffs claims executive orders are unlawful and unconstitutional, saying the Constitution gives Congress the power of the purse.

TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDERS BANNING ‘RADICAL GENDER IDEOLOGY,’ DEI INITIATIVES IN THE MILITARY

The Supreme Court is expected to hand down a ruling by the end of June on a challenge to a Tennessee state law banning gender transitions for minors. (Alexander Pohl/NurPhoto via Getty Images | AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

However, Perry argued that existing federal coverage for gender-related procedures for minors stems from a misinterpretation of the Supreme Court’s 2020 ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County, a decision that several federal courts have since ruled does not support such policies.

“Remember that we’re dealing with the vestiges of an administration that was all in on gender identitarianism and was manipulating federal case law to be able to push through policies that have already been struck down,” Perry said. “I think the President is acting wisely in an anticipatory stance to make sure that the federal funding cap is turned off, while we can get some of these challenges through court and determine whether or not, first, if there is a parental right to these particularly controversial procedures.”

She said that a federal judge already ruled against former President Joe Biden’s re-interpretation of Title IX, referring to U.S. District Court Chief Judge Danny Reeves vacating the regulation in January, in which the previous administration had expanded sex discrimination protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

Reeves ruled that Biden’s expansion contradicted the original intent of Title IX, stating that incorporating gender identity into the statute “eviscerates the statute and renders it largely meaningless.”

CRACKING DOWN ON TRANS TROOPS: TRUMP ORDER NIXES PREFERRED PRONOUNS, RESTRICTS FACILITY USE

A transgender rights supporter takes part in a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices hear arguments in a case on transgender health rights on Dec. 4, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Perry noted that various federal statutes, including the Affordable Care Act’s anti-discrimination provisions, were “manipulated” by the previous administration to advance gender identity policies and noted that courts have increasingly pushed back against these interpretations.

“I think he is rightly acting in an anticipatory fashion,” Perry said of Trump. “He is the chief enforcer of the law, and he has drawn a line in the sand, saying we’re going to cut the tap off until we find a way to get clarity on this, but in the meantime, we are not going to continue to fund the things that we know have catastrophic, devastating effects on minor kids.”

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The lawsuit is the latest addition to those suing Trump over his gender-related executive orders.

The executive orders, signed in late January, include a reinstatement of the ban on transgender troops in the military, a ban on federal funding for sex changes for minors and a directive requiring federal agencies to recognize only “two sexes,” male and female, in official standard of conduct.

A White House spokesperson told Fox News Digital they do not comment on pending litigation. On the campaign trail, Trump promised to weed out “radical gender ideology” as one of his key administrative focuses.

The Supreme Court will also rule on a major case this term about a Tennessee law that will determine whether gender transition procedures can be banned for minors.

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

February 5, 2025
Families sue California AG over trans athlete law after girl loses varsity spot to transgender competitor

The families of two teenage girls are suing California Attorney General Rob Bonta over the state’s laws that allow transgender athletes to compete in girls sports.

A lawsuit was filed by Ryan Starling, the father of Taylor Starling; Daniel and Cynthia Slavin, the parents to Kaitlyn Slavin; and Save Girls Sports, according to court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital.

The listed defendants are Bonta and California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, along with the Riverside Unified School district and administrators Leann Iacuone and Amanda Chann.

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A gender-neutral bathroom at the University of California, Irvine in Irvine, Calif. (Reuters/Lucy Nicholson)

The suit challenges a law in California that allows transgender athletes to compete against girls and women, claiming it is a Title IX violation.

The law, AB 1266, has been in effect since 2014, giving California students at scholastic and collegiate levels the right to “participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”

“This law conflicts with federal Title IX protections, which were established to ensure fairness, safety, and equal opportunities for female students and athletes,” a spokesperson for Advocates for Faith & Freedom, the legal firm representing the families, told Fox News Digital in a statement.

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Students at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, Calif., wear T-shirts that say “Save Girls Sports” to protest a transgender athlete on the cross country team. (Courtesy of Sophia Lorey)

“AB 1266 undermines female athletes, forcing them to compete against biological males who hold undeniable physical advantages. This is not equality. This is an assault on fairness and safety.”

The lawsuit, recently amended to include Bonta and Thurmond, was initially filed in November by the Starling and Slavin families.

It alleges Taylor Starling lost her spot on the varsity cross country team at Martin Luther King High School to a transgender athlete who had just transferred to the school. Starling and Slavin also alleged that when they wore shirts that said “Save Girls Sports” in protest, they were scolded by administrators who compared the shirts to swastikas.

The plaintiffs are looking to bring statewide change to California.

“Plaintiffs seek a federal ruling that AB 1266 violates Title IX as well as a decision holding the District accountable for violating their First Amendment rights. They demand injunctive relief to stop schools from forcing biological girls to compete with and against males, a judgment affirming sex-based protections in athletics and compensation for damages caused by these discriminatory policies,” the Advocates for Faith & Freedom spokesperson said.

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

Transgender athlete supporters hold up signs at left as Tori Hitchcock, center, of the Young Women for America, and Salomay McCullough, right, show off their “Save Girls Sports” shirts. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Ryan Starling previously told Fox News Digital the loss of his daughter’s varsity spot disrupted his entire family emotionally, because cross country played a pivotal role in her life. And then when his daughter and other girls on the team confronted their school administrators about it, he claims, they were told “transgenders have more rights than cisgenders.”

“It’s been told multiple times to not just Taylor, but her sister,” Ryan Starling said, adding that Taylor is one of three triplets, and all three are active on varsity sports teams. “All the administrators at Martin Luther King have stated this comment, and the Title IX coordinator for the Riverside Unified School District has stated ‘that as a Cisgender girl, they do not have the same rights as a transgender girl’ to multiple girls, not just our daughters, but multiple girls on campus.”

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An RUSD spokesperson declined to give an official comment on Ryan Starling’s claims in a conversation with Fox News Digital.

The RUSD previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital insisting that its handling of the situation has been in accordance with California state law.

“While these rules were not created by RUSD, the district is committed to complying with the law and CIF regulations. California state law prohibits discrimination of students based on gender, gender identity and gender expression and specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in physical education and athletics. The protections we provide to all students are not only aligned with the law but also with our core values which include equity and well-being,” the statement said.

Dan Slavin previously told Fox News Digital his family may continue to raise awareness of this issue in the 2026 California gubernatorial election if the issue hasn’t been resolved.

“If nothing changes here in the next couple of years, it absolutely should be part of the next election,” he said.

“I want to see policies change,” Slavin added. “I keep saying the system is broken, and it’s doing more harm than good. And I want to see people understand that and admit that. Sometimes, we make mistakes, and it’s OK to admit that, but we need to make changes and get out of those mistakes we make.”

California State Assemblymember Kate Sanchez announced in early January she is introducing a bill to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls and women’s sports.

Sanchez, a Republican, will propose the Protect Girls’ Sports Act to the state legislature. Currently, 25 states have similar laws in effect.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

February 1, 2025
Teen girls open up on trans athlete scandal that turned their high school into a culture war battleground

Taylor Starling and Kaitlyn Slavin – student athletes at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California – held a live press conference on X Friday hosted California Family Council Outreach Director Sophia Lorey. The two girls shared their perspectives on a recent national controversy that has besieged their community caused by a trans athlete competing on the girls’ cross country team.

“It was confusing, this has never happened to me before, like I didn’t even think this was going to be happening to me,” Starling said. “It was all just like, surprising, that there was going to be a guy running with the girls.”

Slavin, who is only a freshman, said the experience of having her first year of high school involve the situation is “kind of crazy.”

“Just in high school, having to compete against males when you shouldn’t be is something that shocked me right away,” Slavin said.

Starling lost her varsity spot to a trans athlete who transferred to the school this past year, and when they wore shirts that read “Save Girls Sports” in protest, they allege school administrators compared the shirts to swastikas. The two girls and their families are now engaged in a lawsuit against the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) over those allegations.

In response, hundreds of their fellow students and hundreds of other residents in the community began wearing the shirts in protest. The shirts became a local, and then national symbol for the protection of female athletes from biological male inclusion in their sports and locker rooms.

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The ensuing controversy and media coverage of the situation has thrust the two teenage girls, their families and the whole town into the spotlight of the national debate over trans inclusion in women’s sports, which became a hot-button political issue in the 2024 election year.

And for Starling, Slavin and their classmates, it has come with a wave of attention that they have never experienced, both negative and positive.

“I’ve had tons of people reach out to me and say ‘thank you so much for what you’re doing and standing up for these women,’” Starling said. “For my friends, a lot of my friends have been shoulder-checked because they were wearing the shirts and a lot of them have been cursed out and called really bad names, and they posted certain stuff on the internet calling people horrible names for wearing these shirts.”

Slavin, who says she’s found stress relief in sports throughout her life, has only found more stress from sports because of the situation this year.

“It’s scary that that’s not something that can always be a stress-relieving place if we’re going to have all this going on,” Slavin said. “It affects you mentally and emotionally… It’s so hard to have this all going on.”

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Transgender athlete supporters hold up signs at left as Tori Hitchcock, center, of the Young Women for America, and Salomay McCullough, right, both former female athletes, show off their “Save Girls Sports” shirts as an overflow crowd converges outside the Riverside Unified School District meeting Thursday night to debate the rights of transgender athletes to compete in high school sports Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Starling says the trans athlete has been using the girls’ restroom at the school, however, they haven’t seen the athlete much in the locker room due to frequently missing practices.

The two girls, and multiple parents who have spoken to Fox News Digital, allege the trans athlete was allowed to compete on varsity despite missing practice every week.

Starling’s father, Ryan Starling, previously told Fox News Digital that when his daughter and other girls approached the administrators about it, they were told “transgenders have more rights than cisgenders.” The RUSD previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital insisting that its handling of the situation has been in accordance with California state law.

The two girls then ignited a viral trend in their communities when they showed up to school in November wearing the “Save Girls Sports” shirts.

And despite being scolded by school administrators for it and having to file a lawsuit, more and more students began to show up each week wearing the shirts, as the school had to alter its dress code and start placing students in detention for wearing them. This didn’t stop the shirts from spreading and growing. It became a weekly ritual for hundreds of students every Wednesday to show up wearing the shirts support of the girls and their messaging, and many of them created viral social media posts on it.

In early December, the school administrators gave up on their efforts to discipline students for wearing the shirts. Sources told Fox News Digital that more than 400 students have shown up wearing the shirts at a time, and students at other schools in the district have started to wear them to class.

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

Students at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California wear t-shirts that read “Save Girls’ Sports” to protest a trans athlete on the cross country team. (Courtesy of Sophia Lorey)

But Slavin, Starling their attorney Julianne Fleischer, said the school administrators have still told the two girls that they aren’t allowed to wear the shirts, during the press conference on Friday. However, they also said more than 400 students at their school have continued to show up wearing the shirts every Wednesday.

The situation culminated in a heated and confrontational event on Dec. 19, when the RUSD held a school board meeting to address the issue. Prior to the meeting, outside the district office, there were competing protests between activists and parents wearing the “Save Girls Sports” shirts and LGBTQ activists.

Sources, including Ryan Starling, have told Fox News Digital that the LGBTQ activists at the event were harassing the “Save Girls Sports” protesters, and even disrupted a women’s prayer group during a prayer circle prior to the meeting.

“Members of the pro-LGBTQ groups started heckling and harassing the people in line who were speaking in opposition of their values. Some of these adult protesters were even coming up to the young girls that were going to be speaking and were yelling at them close to their face,” Young Women for America (YWA)’s Inland Empire chapter President Tori Hitchcock told Fox News Digital.

One anonymous parent told Fox News Digital about witnessing a child being bombarded with vulgar insults by pro-trans protesters after the meeting.

Transgender athlete supporter Kyle Harp, left, of Riverside holds the progress pride flag as “Save Girls Sports” supporters Lori Lopez and her dad Pete Pickering, both of Riverside, listen to the debate as they join the overflow crowd converging outside the Riverside Unified School District meeting Thursday night to debate the rights of transgender athletes to compete in high school sports Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“My 16-year old son and a few others were standing outside after speaking when a group of the LGBTQ community intentionally walked by them pointing at each one of them saying, ‘FU FU FU,’” the anonymous parent said.

Then, inside the meeting, parents and opposing activists gave impassioned speeches about their thoughts on the situation, with multiple speakers yelling in hysterical tones. The meeting went on for nearly five hours, and included testimony between individuals who opposed trans inclusion in girls’ sports and those who supported it.

Many of the pro-trans speeches were met with high-pitched cheers and the waiving of LGBTQ pride flags by those in attendance.

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The RUSD previously provided a statement to Fox News Digital insisting that its handling of the situation has been in accordance with California state law.

“While these rules were not created by RUSD, the District is committed to complying with the law and CIF regulations. California state law prohibits discrimination of students based on gender, gender identity and gender expression, and specifically prohibits discrimination on the basis of gender in physical education and athletics. The protections we provide to all students are not only aligned with the law but also with our core values which include equity and well-being,” the statement said.

The RUSD also placed blame for its handling of the situation on officials in Washington D.C., and California’s state capital, Sacramento. They made this statement back in early December, prior to President Donald Trump returning to office.

“Save Girls Sports” supporters Skylar Crawford, left, and Jadeynn Gallardo, both of Martin Luther King High School, and Tori Hitchcock, right, of Young Women for America, pray among the overflow crowd converging outside the Riverside Unified School District meeting Thursday night to debate the rights of transgender athletes to compete in high school sports Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“As these matters play out in our courts and the media, opposition and protests should be directed at those in a position to affect those laws and policies (including officials in Washington D.C. and Sacramento),” their statement read.

Trump has pledged to ban trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, as a federal bill titled The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act is currently progressing through congress. It has already passed in the House of Representatives.

Until that bill is potentially signed into law, Slavin and Starling are asking their supporters to “pray” for them.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

January 31, 2025
Former Lia Thomas opponents share ‘abuse,’ push Georgia lawmakers to pass trans athlete in women’s sports ban

A Georgia state Senate committee passed the Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act Thursday after testimony from multiple female athletes who have competed against and shared locker rooms with transgender athletes.

The bill would require athletes to participate on teams that align with their biological sex at birth. If it is signed into law, Georgia would become the 26th state in the U.S. to have a law in place to prevent or restrict transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports.

Georgia has been a prime frontier for this issue after the state hosted the 2022 NCAA women’s swimming championships, which included transgender swimmer Lia Thomas.

Two of Thomas’ former opponents testified at Thursday’s state congressional hearing.

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Riley Gaines, a spokeswoman for the Independent Women’s Forum, tied Lia Thomas for fifth place in the 200 freestyle finals at the NCAA swimming and diving championships. (Brett Davis/USA Today Sports)

Former North Carolina State women’s swimmer Kylee Alons, a 31-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion, spoke about the experience competing against and sharing a locker room with Thomas.

“We all were just guinea pigs for a giant social experiment formed by the NCAA regarding how much abuse and blatant disregard women would be forced to take in silence,” Alons said.

Alons recounted the emotions she felt sharing competitive areas with Thomas, and how much sadness she felt watching women lose out on chances to compete fairly at the event. Alons even said she wanted to cry and leave the event after seeing Thomas win the 500-meter freestyle.

“It all just felt so off and wrong,” she said.

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Things got much more difficult for Lyons after she experienced sharing a locker room with Thomas.

“I go to the locker room that day only to see Thomas and realize there is no escape from this nightmare, no matter where I go. I had no idea he was going to be allowed in the women’s locker room as we did not consent to have a man in our locker room,” Lyons said

“I am immediately on edge every time I enter that locker room afterward, knowing at any moment a man can walk in on me changing.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Lyons added she felt so uncomfortable she resorted to abandoning the locker room altogether and instead changed in a storage closet behind the bleachers.

Former University of Kentucky swimmer Kaitlynn Wheeler joined Lyons in recounting the experience of sharing a locker room with Thomas.

“Young women, teenage girls were forced to undress next to a fully intact biological male who exposed himself to us, while we were simultaneously fully exposed,” Wheeler said. “We were never asked. We were never given a choice or another option. We were just expected to be OK with it, to shove down our discomfort, our embarrassment, our fear, because standing up for ourselves would mean being labeled as intolerant or hateful or bigoted.”

Penn Quakers swimmer Lia Thomas prepares for the 200 free at the NCAA swimming and diving championships at Georgia Tech in Atlanta March 18, 2022. (Brett Davis/USA Today Sports)

Wheeler and Lyons are plaintiffs in an ongoing lawsuit against the NCAA led by fellow former swimmer and 2022 NCAA championship competitor Riley Gaines over the NCAA’s policies on gender ideology.

Wheeler and Lyons shared their experiences with a message urging state senators at the hearing to pass the Fair and Safe Athletic Opportunities Act.

The bill drew opposition from parents, physicians and others. Dr. Jodi Greenwald, a Roswell pediatrician, told the panel that transgender girls are not predators and warned that transgender youth are more at risk of suicide.

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The bill passed by a vote of 8-3 after a nearly two-hour hearing.

Lt. Gov. Bill Jones called the vote an important step toward one of his critical goals of the session.

“Biological men do not belong in women’s sports, period,” Jones said.

“This is common sense to everyone but the most radical liberals in Georgia. The Senate has always led the way on protecting women’s sports, and with Senate Bill 1, we will continue to be on the right side of this commonsense issue.

“I will never waver in the fight to protect our sisters and our daughters participating on equal footing in Georgia sports. I look forward to Senate Bill 1 becoming law and the protection of women’s sports becoming a reality for all female athletes in Georgia.”

A federal ban on transgender inclusion in girls and women’s sports is also moving through Congress.

The House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act Jan. 14, which would cut federal funding for any public educational institution that allows transgender athletes to compete against girls and women in sports.

Every Republican U.S. representative voted in favor of the bill. Only two Democrats, Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, both of Texas, voted to pass it. The remaining 206 House House Democrats opposed it. Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., voted “present.”

A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don’t think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports.

Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

January 31, 2025
School reacts to video of official telling parents to alter trans kid’s birth certificate to play girls sports

A Texas school district has acknowledged footage of one of its administrators telling an undercover journalist posing as a parent to change a transgender child’s birth certificate to compete in girls sports.

The Irving Independent School District in Irving, Texas, has provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the recent video of Reny Lizardo, the executive director of campus operations, giving this guidance, which was obtained by Accuracy in Media.

The statement indicates Lizardo has resigned from his position.

“In Irving ISD, we are committed to upholding the requirements of state and federal laws, especially as it pertains to ensuring the safety and well-being of our students, and we will cooperate with any investigation initiated by relevant authorities,” the statement said.

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“We are aware of the unauthorized video footage circulating on social media of an individual connected with Irving ISD. The videos were obtained under false pretenses by an individual who posed as a concerned parent and additional individuals who posed as family friends of the employee pictured.

“The individuals also held themselves out as members of the media, but were not credentialed as such, constituting a breach of security. In addition, the footage has been edited and is an incomplete representation of the entire conversation, making it difficult to properly assess its probative value.”

In the footage, Lizardo said, “It’s not illegal if you don’t get caught,” with regard to changing the gender on a child’s birth certificate, and “if you can get that done, and you turn us a birth certificate that says ‘this gender,’ that’s the gender we go with.”

While discussing potential repercussions of the discussion, Lizardo suggested pleading plausible deniability.

The district insists Lizardo’s handling of the situation does not reflect the values and protocols of the school district.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Lizardo for comment.

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

“We want to reiterate that Irving ISD complies with all state and federal laws, and all employees are expected to adhere to any and all legal and ethical standards. The message conveyed in the video, as presented, does not reflect the views nor policies of the district,” the statement said.

“Individual employees do not speak on behalf of the district. The individual identified was acting outside of his role as it relates to legal and regulatory expertise. While the matter continues to be under investigation, the individual identified in the video has tendered his resignation.”

The district’s statement concludes by claiming all of its athletes participate in the proper gender category.

“We can also confirm that all Irving ISD student-athletes are participating in their sport in accordance with the sex they were assigned at birth,” the district said. “Irving ISD is unwavering in our commitment to the safety and well-being of all of our students and staff. We remain focused on our primary function to maintain educational excellence and foster the full potential of our students.”

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Texas is one of 25 states in the U.S. with a law that prevents or restricts transgender athletes from competing against girls and women. In June 2023, the state passed the Save Women’s Sports Act that prohibits transgender athletes from competing in girls and women’s sports and only allows students to compete in the gender category listed on their birth certificate.

The law only allows schools to recognize changes made to birth certificates that were made to correct a clerical error.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott addressed the footage involving Lizardo in a post on X and called for him to be fired and investigated.

“This Irving ISD Administrator should be fired on the spot. Both criminal & civil investigations must be taken against both the Administrator & Irving ISD,” Abbott wrote. “Has Irving ISD and its employees been involved in a fraudulent breach of state laws & a cover up? We must get the facts.”

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

January 30, 2025
School official appears to advise parents of trans athletes to change birth certificate to play girls sports

A school district administrator in Texas was seen encouraging parents to make false changes to their child’s birth certificate so they would qualify to play in girls’ sports as a biological male, according to a recently released video.

The footage shows a man, allegedly Reny Lizardo, who serves as the executive director of campus operations for the Irving Independent School District, telling an undercover journalist that “It’s not illegal if you don’t get caught” in regard to doctoring a child’s birth certificate to undermine Texas state law that prevents trans athletes from competing in girls’ sports.

“Could you legally change the gender on a birth certificate? I don’t know enough about that subject,” he says, according to video obtained by Accuracy in Media. “If you can get that done, and you turn us a birth certificate that says ‘this gender,’ that’s the gender we go with.”

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When asked if a hypothetical trans athlete had the gender on a birth certificate changed to female and would be able to then play on the girls’ soccer team, the man allegedly identified as Lizardo responds, “Yeah.” He also says the school district could plead plausible deniability if the athlete’s birth gender was uncovered and prompted a lawsuit.

“If a parent found out or a student found out and said, ‘Wait a second. This person isn’t this gender,’ and they, like, sued the district, we’d be in trouble. But, we can also say, ‘We didn’t know’ … So, there’s a plausible deniability, I guess,” he is seen saying before suggesting their conversation not be spoken about again.

“Me and you never had this conversation.”

In June 2023, Texas passed the Save Women’s Sports Act that bans trans athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports, and only allows students to compete in the gender category listed on their birth certificate. The law only allows schools to recognize changes made to birth certificates that were made to correct a clerical error.

Texas is one of 25 states in the U.S. to have a law in place to prevent or restrict trans athletes from competing against girls and women, and a national bill is currently making its way through Congress.

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott addressed the footage involving Lizardo in a post on X, and called for him to be fired and criminally investigated.

“This Irving ISD Administrator should be fired on the spot. Both criminal & civil investigations must be taken against both the Administrator & Irving ISD,” Abbott wrote. “Has Irving ISD and its employees been involved in a fraudulent breach of state laws & a cover up? We must get the facts.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Irving Independent School District for comment.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act on Jan. 14, which would cut federal funding for any public educational institution that allows trans athletes to compete against girls and women in sports.

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Every Republican representative voted in favor of the bill, but only two Democrats, Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, and Vicente Gonzales, D-Texas, voted to pass it. The remaining 206 House Democrats all voted against. Rep. Don Davis, D-N.C., voted “present.”

A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don’t think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports. Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrat or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.

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Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

January 29, 2025
Women’s soccer players suspended for asking if trans opponents are men: ‘I can’t even stand up for myself’

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An 18-year-old women’s soccer player in England was suspended six games for asking referees if transgender opponents on an opposing team were men.

It is the second incident when a teenage female player was banned for inquiring to referees about the birth sex of opposing players, The Telegraph reported.

The most recent incident took place in September when she made a comment to referees, asking if an opposing team’s goalkeeper and others were eligible to play. The female player reportedly has learning difficulties, including ADHD.

The incident was sanctioned by a National Serious Case Panel, and in addition to her six-game ban, with two games suspended, she was also forced to undergo an “online education course.” Her club was dealt seven disciplinary points.

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In a statement provided to The Telegraph, the 18-year-old referred to the trans opponents as “extremely aggressive.” She also said she did not take her ADHD medication that day because “another medical condition” prevented it.

“It kind of made me hate football,” she said. “If I say anything else, I get another six-game ban. So I can’t even stand up for myself at this point.”

The first incident of a teenage female getting banned for such inquiries occurred in November. That month, a 17-year-old player with autism was punished for allegedly asking a transgender opponent “are you a man?” The female player was dealt a six-game ban, with four of them suspended.

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In England, The Football Association (FA) has a policy of allowing players who are biologically male, but identify as female, aged 16 or older, to play in the women’s game.

According to the FA rules, “The general position is that the participation of trans people in competitive sports cannot be restricted unless it is strictly necessary to pursue a legitimate aim, namely securing fair competition and safety of other competitors.”

The FA’s policy is in accordance with the country’s Equality Act of 2010, which states, “Gender reassignment is one of nine protected characteristics… and as such transsexual people are protected against discrimination.”

The country’s policy that enables trans competitors against women also affected the U.K. Mini Series pool women’s championships in October. There, transgender competitors Harriet Haynes and Lucy Smith, both of whom are biological males, were allowed to play.

Haynes and Smith ended up facing off against each other in the semifinals after each of them defeated a string of biologically female opponents. Haynes won that match, advancing to the final. However, opponent Kirsty-Lee Davies defeated Haynes to ensure the championship went to a biological female.

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The issue of trans inclusion in women’s sports has become a global issue in recent years that has prompted severe backlash by women’s rights groups across the West.

The United Nations has said nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of the podium because they were beaten out by trans athletes.

The findings were compiled by Reem Alsalem, the UN’s Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, titled “Violence against women and girls in sports.”

The report said that more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.

“The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males,” the report said.

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January 29, 2025
Martina Navratilova endorses Olympic president hopeful who suggests ban on trans athletes from women’s sports

Former women’s tennis star Martina Navratilova expressed her desire to see former British Olympic champion Sebastian Coe become the next president of the International Olympics Committee (IOC).

The key issue that drives Navratilova’s endorsement is banning trans athletes from women’s competition — an issue the the former tennis star has been a prominent advocate of.

“IOC’s shift may alter DSD (Differences of Sexual Development) trans rules – here is hoping Seb Coe is the next president!” Navratilova wrote in a post on X while re-sharing an article that lays out Coe’s stances.

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The former Czech tennis player Martina Navratilova receives the golden racket during the Italian tennis internationals at the Foro Italico. Rome (Italy), May 21st, 2023. (Massimo Insabato/Archivio Massimo Insabato/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)

Coe published his manifesto for his vision as International Olympics Committee (IOC) president, as he campaigns for the position going into 2025, and it stressed the importance of protecting female athletes.

Unlike current IOC president Thomas Bach, Coe staunchly opposes trans inclusion in the women’s category, and said he would explore a complete ban on trans athletes in a previous interview with Sky News.

“We will have a very clear policy that will be un-ambiguous,” Coe said. “We’ve been very clear in World Athletics that transgender athletes will not be competing in the female category at the elite level.”

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Lord Sebastian Coe speaks during a Memorial Service for Kevan Gosper AO in the Olympic Room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 17, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. Mr Gosper was an Olympian, former AOC President and IOC Vice President, who passed away on 19 July 2024 after a short illness. (Daniel Pockett/Getty Images for the AOC)

Coe declined to state whether he would advocate for mandatory sex-eligibility tests for Olympians.

Coe is the current head of World Athletics — the governing body for international track & field competition. In 2023, the governing body tightened its regulations on trans athletes to exclude transgender women who have gone through male puberty from competing in the female category. That regulation also lowered the maximum testosterone level for eligible female competitors.

Coe said that if his becomes IOC president, the new Olympic policy on trans inclusion will “probably” reflect the one he has established in World Athletics.

While criticizing the IOC’s current policies on the issue, Coe referenced an incident at the recent Paris Olympics. The recent summer games were overshadowed by controversy when Imane Khelif of Algeria and Lin Yu-ting of Taiwan won gold medals in women’s boxing.

Both athletes had previously been disqualified from international competitions for failing gender-eligibility tests. However, the IOC and current President Thomas Bach supported the inclusion of both athletes, insisting they were qualified to compete as women under the current rules.

Coe previously said the situation involving Khelif and Lin made him feel “uncomfortable,” in a November interview with the BBC. Neither athlete has been confirmed to be transgender.

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Algeria’s Imane Khelif (in red) punches Italy’s Angela Carini in the women’s 66kg preliminaries round of 16 boxing match during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the North Paris Arena, in Villepinte on August 1, 2024. (MOHD RASFAN/AFP via Getty Images)

The United Nations released study findings saying that nearly 900 biological females have fallen short of the podium because they have been beaten out by transgender athletes.

The study, titled “Violence against women and girls in sports,” said that more than 600 athletes did not medal in more than 400 competitions in 29 different sports, totaling over 890 medals, according to information obtained up to March 30.

“The replacement of the female sports category with a mixed-sex category has resulted in an increasing number of female athletes losing opportunities, including medals, when competing against males,” the report said.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

January 29, 2025
Trans inmate sues Trump admin over ‘two-sexes’ order halting money for gender therapy

A transgender inmate receiving taxpayer-funded medical treatments has launched the first lawsuit against the Trump administration and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) challenging President Donald Trump’s executive order that puts an end to medical transgender treatments for federal prisoners.

Trump’s executive order, titled “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government,” prohibits federal funds from being “expended for any medical procedure, treatment, or drug for the purpose of conforming an inmate’s appearance to that of the opposite sex.” The order also declares there are only “two-sexes.”

The unnamed inmate, who goes by “Maria Moe” in court documents and is represented by GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders and National Center for Lesbian Rights and Lowenstein Sandler LLP, has been on medical hormones since they were a teenager and has not been housed in a men’s facility since their conviction.

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President Donald Trump’s executive order puts an end to medical transgender treatments for federal prisoners. (Getty Images)

Once Trump signed the executive order, Moe was transferred to a men’s prison facility, and BOP records changed the sex from “female” to “male,” the complaint says.

The lawsuit, first reported by Reuters, claims Trump’s executive order will lead to transgender women “who are incarcerated in federal prisons” being “unlawfully transferred to men’s facilities and denied medically necessary healthcare.”

“If Maria Moe is transferred to a men’s facility, she will not be safe,” the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on Sunday, claims. “She will be at an extremely high risk of harassment, abuse, violence, and sexual assault. She may be subject to strip searches by male correctional officers.”

“She may be forced to shower in full view of men who are incarcerated. And she will predictably experience worsening gender dysphoria,” the complaint continued.

Moe is claiming Trump and the BOP are violating the Fifth and Eighth Amendments and claims they are “at imminent risk of losing access to the medical care she needs to treat her gender dysphoria.”

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President-elect Donald Trump arrives prior to his inauguration at the United States Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. (Melina Mara – Pool/Getty Images)

Prior to Trump’s reversal of BOP gender dysphoria policies, the BOP began funding transgender surgical procedures for transgender inmates in December 2022, with Donna Langan – formerly known as Peter Kevin Langan – becoming the first federal prisoner to undergo transition on the taxpayer dollar. Langan was convicted in 1997 for involvement in a series of armed bank robberies across the Midwest during the 1990s. Langan was a leader of the Aryan Republican Army, a White supremacist group that carried out these robberies to fund their activities, according to court documents.

Langan’s gender transition followed years of advocacy and legal action, including a landmark settlement in 2021, when the BOP agreed to provide gender transition surgery to Cristina Nichole Iglesias, who was convicted in 1994 for threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction against British officials.

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A New York Times column featured the perspectives of gender destransitioners and gender-affirming care providers who claim that leftwing activists are pushing sex changes on kids too aggressively. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

In the past year, multiple lawsuits have been filed over the denial of gender transition treatments for incarcerated individuals. Autumn Cordellioné, a transgender woman serving 55 years in Indiana for the murder of their 11-month-old stepdaughter, sued the state for refusing to conduct transgender surgery.

In April 2024, the Biden administration’s Department of Justice sued Utah’s Department of Corrections, alleging it created unnecessary barriers to gender dysphoria treatment for inmates.

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In September 2024, Reiyn Keohane, a transgender woman imprisoned in Florida, filed suit against the state’s Department of Corrections. Keohane alleged officials violated the Eighth Amendment for discontinuing hormone therapy and access to female clothing and grooming products, despite Keohane’s prior diagnosis and treatment for gender dysphoria.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Moe’s attorneys, the White House and BOP.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate.

January 28, 2025