75 students and alumni take their seats inside Building 310 at San Francisco State University. As Adriana Hernandez reported the following day in the SFSU student news site, the Golden Gate Xpress, posters and body parts are scrawled with bold, defiant messages: “Trans Lives Matter”, “No Room for Transphobia at SFSU”, “Sore Loser”. Outside the classroom, hundreds more press against the doors and gather in the stairway, even expanding onto the street; their voices echoing through the hallways in a wave of resistance.
As Hernandez reported, they weren’t there to listen— they were there to make a statement. The uproar is directed towards Riley Gaines, former University of Kentucky swimmer turned activist.
Gaines travels the country, lobbying for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to ban transgender athletes from competing with their cisgender peers. At SFSU, her message is not a shared sentiment but rather met with a wall of opposition. The protest grows fierce, forcing Gaines to shelter in a classroom for four hours before being escorted off campus by security.
That was April of 2023. Since then, Gaines’s movement has continued to gain momentum. Through social media and scheduled public speaking events, Gaines shares her story of her encounter with UPenn’s Lia Thomas, a transgender woman on the swimming team and 2022 national champion in the women’s 500-yard freestyle event (Thomas tied with Gaines for fifth place in the 200-yard freestyle). Gaines claims that Thomas’s domination in certain events strips women of their rights and achievements.
Now more than ever, Gaines’s movement highlights a pressing question, both locally and nationally: what role should transgender athletes have in competitive sports?
In February, president Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender women and girls from competing in female sports. The measure, “No Men in Women’s Sports Executive Order,” is the fourth executive order targeting transgender people since Trump took office on January 20.
In compliance with the U.S. ban, NCAA president Charlie Baker announced that collegiate NCAA women’s sports will be restricted to students assigned female at birth, while men’s sports will be open to all student athletes, regardless of their sex assigned at birth.
While Trump believes that this measure is the right decision — claiming that “with this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over,”—There is a strong pushback among citizens and professionals creating a controversial issue.
Danya Lagos, an Assistant Professor of Sociology at UC Berkeley, has worked in the study of transgender populations for 10 years and highlights the challenges with Trump’s order.
“Trump’s executive order aims to pull funds from schools that do not adopt his administration’s narrow, often tautological definition of sex and restrict trans women from participating in sporting activities,” Lagos said. “… For transgender women athletes this means that their schools could prevent them from participating in sports.”
According to the LGBT Movement Advancement Project, 37% of transgender youth aged 13-17 reside in states with laws restricting transgender students from participating in sports aligned with their gender identity. While this is a national policy, individual states retain the ability to determine whether to enforce or reject these regulations. The specifics of these restrictions vary, but often apply to both K-12 and collegiate athletics.
An anonymous Paly student, referred to as Alex for privacy, is a transgender male who shared his perspective on the policy’s impact.
“Trump’s order is not only about elite sports; it promises to cut funding for schools that allow trans girls to compete with other girls,” Alex said. “Not only do these kids lose opportunities for mental and physical health benefits [as well as] life skills development, but the order solves none of the real problems facing women’s and girls’ sports.”
The order grants the U.S. Department of Education the authority to penalize schools that permit transgender athletes to compete, citing noncompliance with Title IX, which prohibits sex-based discrimination in education. Schools found in violation may risk losing federal funding. While supporters argue that the policy protects women’s sports, critics contend that it unfairly targets transgender individuals.
“What about promoting opportunities for girls’ participation, addressing stigma or promoting interest in women’s sports? No, anti-trans lawmakers don’t do things that would actually improve women’s sports because this is not actually about fairness—it’s about transphobia,” Alex said.
As this policy takes shape, its implementation remains uncertain. While it has garnered support from many, Trump’s ban is already facing legal and societal pushback. According to Lambda Legal, a civil rights organization that supports the LGBTQ+ community, Senior Attorney Carl Charles predicts that legal challenges are inevitable, arguing that a national ban would likely be overturned.
“We [the lawyers at Lambda Legal] are neither cowed nor deterred,” Charles said in an issued statement to Lambda Legal. “We and our partners are standing together to protect those rights already won, and fight for those still needed, to allow the LGBTQ+ community … to live freely and safely as their full and authentic selves.”
“States will have to decide whether they enforce these policies or not, or whether they will also change their policies to be in line with the president’s executive order,” Lagos said. “Colleges also have the option of reimagining what sports look like on their campuses. They could decide to walk away from the NCAA enterprise entirely and start their own leagues. Plenty of colleges have sports programs outside of the NCAA.”
Although California state law mandates that schools allow transgender athletes to join sports teams that align with their gender identity, many university athletic departments have stated their compliance with the Feb. 6 ruling. One such example takes place right across the street from Paly, at Stanford University, where certain transgender athletes are banned from competition.
According to the Stanford Daily, the changes affect all Stanford athletes assigned male at birth, as well as those assigned female at birth who have started hormone therapy. While they may still practice with the women’s teams, they are no longer allowed to compete with them.
Currently, public opinion seems to lean in favor of the NCAA ruling. Even within the Democratic party, a January New York Times poll found that nearly 70% of Democrats oppose allowing transgender female athletes to participate in women’s sports. California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed his opinion on the matter on March 6, stating “[Allowing transgender women in sports] is an issue of fairness — it’s deeply unfair,” on his podcast “This is Gavin Newsom.” This might come as a surprise to many Californians, as Newsom’s stances have tended to lean progressive as an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.
Currently, Palo Alto and its neighboring communities allow transgender women to compete in highschool sports.
A Paly student, who requested anonymity and will be called Jenny, shared her recent experience playing against a transgender athlete.
“I found out about six hours before [my lacrosse] game that the draw taker is trans,” Jenny said. “I was mad, because this not only takes away from the opportunity that women have in sports, but it also makes [playing] dangerous, because you’re playing against a biological male. Even if I try my hardest, and I have the most energy, I’m still going to get beat out, because they have the biological advantage.”
Despite feeling that she approached the game with an open mind, this student quickly noticed what she perceived as a distinct difference in competition.
“I remember, I was watching from the defense; our draw taker took the draw against the other team, and [the trans opponent] got it every single time. This girl was levitating off the ground,” Jenny said.
On average, without factoring in body mass and height, men are 40% stronger than women (PubMed Central). Facing an opponent who is naturally stronger, taller and heavier can be daunting, especially in a competitive setting where players are putting forward their best effort. This concern is echoed by many female athletes who are forced to compete against biological males, which not only creates an uneven playing field but also raises concerns for athlete safety.
“When you have a biological man come in here and invade our space and play like a man, and have that biological boost that a man does, it just makes it so much more dangerous,” Jenny said. “It takes away from a bunch of girls who really love lacrosse, and they want to play lacrosse and they want to get better. How are you going to teach them to be better when it’s becoming a co-ed sport?”
Jenny is not the only person at Paly to take this position. “I feel that [transgender women in sports] gives an unfair advantage and it ruins the integrity of the sport,” another anonymous Paly student said.
This sentiment, at Paly and nation-wide, appears to be directed towards transgender women in particular. While concerns about fairness are prevalent, the issue is complex, with strong feelings on both sides. One anonymous student, who will be called Ava, is a transgender woman involved in sports.
“I knew that I was trans around fifth grade, but I did not know the words for it,” Ava said. “But I didn’t really start socially transitioning until around freshman year [of high school]… I did not play high school sanctioned sports until junior year, but I needed to have my gender changed in the school records to be eligible to play.”
Ava has participated in multiple sports, including soccer and volleyball, but feels a special connection to lacrosse since joining about 18 months ago.
“I started lacrosse because I knew a lot of people and friends who played lacrosse and had a lot of free time in the spring,” Ava said. “I think I was also getting burnt out from volleyball and wanted to try something new. While I am better at volleyball, I think I like lacrosse more. I love my team and the environment that they bring.”
As a transgender athlete, Ava has had to face hurdles throughout her athletic career.
“Just joining the sport and getting out of my shell was the hardest thing I have had to do in terms of sports,” Ava said. “There are always thoughts of ‘is everybody okay with it’, ‘will I get hate’, and other negative thoughts. But it was also the most rewarding thing.”
Once accustomed to the team, Ava began to feel more comfortable, embracing her role within it.
“I really do think lacrosse helped me be more happy with myself when I was not really confident,” Ava said. “It helped me learn to manage my anxiety during games. In terms of my identity, lacrosse helped me much more as a trans-person.”
More than that, Ava found the camaraderie and sense of belonging that comes with being part of a team.
“In lacrosse, I have felt very supported and I am very lucky, since most of [my teammates] have known me since freshman year,” Ava said. “They treat me like everyone else and just like a normal girl. I think I have been lucky to have supportive teammates and friends.”
With ongoing policy changes that could affect her ability to compete in school sports, Ava expressed her concerns about legislative restrictions on transgender athletes.
“At first I thought it was just college sports but then I found out it was high school sports in some states as well,” Ava said. “I was pretty disappointed… I’m pretty sure about less than 1% is transgender in America and I heard that there are less than 10 trans-athletes in the NCAA. I feel like for such a small percent of the population, everyone acts like we are a disease, something to be eradicated.”
The conversation around transgender athletes often focuses on competitive advantages, but Ava believes these discussions overlook the skill and talent of cisgender female athletes.
“I feel like [people] underestimate cis-women in general on how strong, fast or talented they are,” Ava said. “I have literally been humbled by some many girls because of how good they are. In sports there is always someone better than you at it. No matter how good you are, someone in the world is still better.”
Through her own experiences, Ava seeks to address what she sees as misconceptions about transgender participation in sports.
“I think in terms of trans girls in sports, it’s not like someone goes ‘I am a girl now, so I am going to play with girls now,’” Ava said. “There are regulations for trans people to compete in competitions. I don’t know anyone that would transition to be a girl just to win awards and competition. I think people often forget the different ages that someone can transition. If someone transitions before puberty, what advantage do they have?”
While this remains a prevalent issue with transgender women, transgender men’s participation in sports is not met with the same controversy. By being aligned with their gender identity rather than their birth gender, they can compete without restrictions at the collegiate level.
Alex can provide first-hand experience as to what it means to be a male transgender athlete.
“I have played my sport since long before I transitioned, starting at around age five,” Alex said. “In general, my challenges in sport largely mirror those of any other student athlete … What makes my participation more challenging is not the fact that I am trans, but the discrimination that comes with it. For instance, I have to sit silently through transphobic jokes on my team or else risk outing myself and becoming the subject of those jokes myself.”
Although this student has felt at times alienated by his identity, he also acknowledges the overall encouragement he has received.
“Generally, I have received strong support from my coaches,” Alex said. “These guys are masculine, tough, no-nonsense people, but they really do care about their players. Their support proves acceptance doesn’t need to rely on understanding but on respect. I am so lucky to have this experience, as many trans people are shunned by teammates and coaches. In fear of a similar situation, I often choose not to disclose my identity on certain teams, avoiding potential backlash.”
Alex attests to the fact that his experience doesn’t vary too far from many other athletes: on his “travel team”, he works hard in practices, collaborates with teammates and puts his best foot forward.
“[Being on the team] was the sense of community and accomplishment that should be part of what it means to be an athlete, regardless of gender,” Alex said. “I’ve developed the persistence, logical-thinking and focus that I consider to be part of who I am. Being transgender has affected my experience in sports, but my personality is what makes me the athlete I am.”
Alex’s ability to participate in sports is not currently at risk due to Trump’s order, but for transgender women like Ava, it is.
“For the time being, younger trans women athletes may be systematically shut out of having the same opportunities for athletic scholarships that are available to others,” Lagos said. “Other young trans athletes, or people simply navigating questions about their gender identity, may choose to stay in the closet, or go into closets they weren’t in before, out of fear that they will be barred from being able to pursue their passions, or even participate in casual high school activities.”
A further complication with this ban is the determination of gender itself. The use of a birth certificate on paper provides a clean-cut answer, but in reality, the lines of gender can be much more blurred. Although there are transgender women with a biological advantage, there are also an abundance of cases in which testosterone levels have already been altered, mirroring those similar to biological women.
According to the American Urological Association and WebMD, healthy male testosterone levels range between 450 and 600 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL); a normal testosterone level for a female is between 15 and 70, appearing as a large gap in athletic performance. However, according to Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, transgender adolescents can receive GnRH analogs to delay puberty until they can proceed with hormone therapy as early as age 16.
This creates an issue with Trump’s order, which relies solely on birth certificates as gender affiliation. Although a person is assigned a gender at birth, by a certain age, a transgender athlete’s biological makeup might not align with this original assessment. Prior to the ban, there had been different ways to address this.
“Many organizations, including the International Olympic Committee, had already created guidelines for the inclusion of transgender athletes,” Alex said. “These regulations promote true fairness — both to trans and cisgender athletes — as well as evidenced-based approaches, such as reducing testosterone levels, not blanket bans and discriminatory assumptions.”
In preparation for the 2021 Olympics, the International Olympic Committee had drafted a document to address fairness and inclusion, stating, “No athlete should be precluded from competing or excluded from competition on the exclusive ground of an unverified, alleged or perceived unfair competitive advantage due to their sex variations, physical appearance and/or transgender status.” The determination of participation of said athletes is largely based on data collected from a demographic group.
Some believe that this way of determining is a better approach than an outright ban based on a birth certificate. An anonymous student, who will be called Serena, aligns their views with this statement.
“I think to a certain extent, [transgender athlete participation] really depends on the level of transition that this trans person has gone through,” Serena said. “I think in the case in which a trans [female] athlete has matching testosterone levels of a cisgender woman, it is purely just transphobic to ban them from playing sports if they don’t have any true unfair advantage. However, if the trans athlete has not transitioned, and they are allowed to play in a womens-only team without the right hormone levels, I think that is a threat to women’s rights.”
The National Library of Medicine conducted a study assessing how long it takes for testosterone-suppressing medications to take effect in transgender women. Results showed transgender women experiencing significant decreases in hemoglobin, an iron-containing protein, matching levels of cisgender females only four months after starting hormone therapy. With hormones matching those of their competitors, the advantage Trump and others claim transgender women to have would be diminished.
A study conducted by the British Journal of Sports Medicine analyzed the fitness and medical records of 42 transgender women undergoing gender-affirming hormone therapy, comparing their performance before and after treatment. Prior to beginning hormone therapy, trans women performed 31% more push-ups, 15% more situps in one minute and ran 1.5 miles 21% faster than cisgender women. After two years of feminizing hormone therapy, the differences in push-up and sit-up performance were no longer observed; however, transgender women continued to run 12% faster than their cisgender counterparts. Overall, the study indicates that the athletic advantage transgender women initially had over cisgender women decreased by 15-31% following hormone therapy, suggesting that an athlete’s performance advantage diminishes over time with continued treatment. However, Trump’s order does not account for these nuances, further complicating the topic at hand.
Another key consideration is the participation of transgender men who began in women’s sports. At what stage do they make the switch from womens’ to mens’ sports?
According to the same study conducted by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, prior to gender-affirming hormones, transgender men performed 43% fewer push-ups and ran 1.5 miles 15% slower than cisgender men. However, after one year of masculinizing hormone therapy, these differences disappeared, and transgender men even surpassed their cisgender male counterparts in sit-up performance.
A Paly student, who has requested to stay anonymous and will be named Clara, witnessed the transition of a former teammate from a cisgender female to a transgender male while remaining on their original all female team. Clara believes that taking testosterone boosted their performance.
“[This athlete’s] performance visibly improved after they started taking testosterone,” Clara said. “They were a lot more explosive and overall had better endurance. I believe that because of this, my team had a slight advantage against other teams, but it was not so dramatic that other teams began to raise questions, especially since [my teammates] transition was not public knowledge [at the time].”
This experience highlights issues of fairness, as the gender-affirming medications that Clara’s teammate took had provided him with a distinct advantage in the field of women’s sports. Once the athlete begins the transition into a male, the participation in women’s athletics becomes a place of controversy as it provides them with physical advantages.
Yet, if completely excluded from sports, this group could feel marginalized, and miss out on the experience of what it means to be an athlete. While some athletes may feel that hormonal changes provide an unfair competitive edge, others emphasize the importance of inclusion and to consider personal struggles faced by transgender athletes.
“I think it’s unfair to purely just ban trans people from athletics,” Serena said. “Imagine if you were going through so much and you still wanted to play your sport and you weren’t able to do so.”
The debate over transgender athletes in competitive sports remains highly contentious, as many navigate topics of fairness, inclusion and the nature of athletic competition. While some argue that biological differences create an uneven playing field, others emphasize the importance of respecting gender identity and ensuring inclusivity.
As policies, legal battles and public discourse continue to evolve, schools, athletic organizations and lawmakers will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of sports for the transgender community. The outcome remains unclear on whether finding a collective medium between contrasting viewpoints can be achieved, but the ongoing discussions will undoubtedly influence how sports organizations define fairness, inclusivity and competitive integrity in the years to come.
