NAIA, governing small colleges, bars transgender athletes from women's sports competitions

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is barring all transgender athletes from competing in women's sports as part of its new transgender participation policy.

The NAIA, the governing body of 241 smaller colleges and universities, announced Monday that "only NAIA student-athletes whose biological sex is female" and who have not begun hormone therapy will be allowed to compete in women's sports. According to the policy, athletes who have begun hormone therapy will be allowed to participate in workouts, practices and team activities "at the discretion" of the school at which the athlete is enrolled, but not allowed in interscholastic competition.

"With the exception of competitive cheer and competitive dance, the NAIA created separate categories for male and female participants," the policy reads. "Each NAIA sport includes some combination of strength, speed, and stamina, providing competitive advantages for male student-athletes. As a result, the NAIA policy for transgender student-athletes applies to all sports except for competitive cheer and competitive dance, which are open to all students."

The policy goes in effect in August, to coincide with the start of the 2024 sports calendar.

The policy was enacted in a vote Monday at the NAIA's national convention in Kansas City, Missouri.

Transgender athlete participation has become a polarizing political issue dividing the country. Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), issued a statement Monday criticizing the NAIA for its decision.

"Today, the NAIA decided to bar an entire category of people from competition simply because of a right-wing outrage campaign that purposefully misrepresents and distorts the realities of transgender athletes while doing nothing to support women’s sports," Robinson said in the statement. "The benefits of sports to the mind, body, and spirit are well known. Every student, including transgender student athletes, deserve the opportunity to be a part of a team and to learn about sportsmanship, self-discipline, perseverance and more."

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley, who led her team to an NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament championship Sunday, spoke out in support of transgender women competing in women's sports and said she is in favor of allowing them to compete.

"The NAIA should listen to Hall of Famers like Coach Dawn Staley, and do everything it can to expand access to athletics, including to correct the long-standing lack of resources and support for women’s athletics, instead of engaging in even more discrimination," Robinson continued in the statement. "The chilling message this sends not just to other sanctioning bodies but also to youth sports leagues across the country is dangerous and it must be stopped in its tracks."

In January 2022, the NCAA, which is a wholly separate operation from the NAIA, revised its policy for transgender athletes to align with the U.S. and International Olympic Committees. The NCAA's transgender policy has been in place since 2010 and calls for one year of testosterone suppression treatment and documentation of testosterone levels to be submitted prior to championship competitions.

When asked about whether he sees any changes coming to the NCAA’s policy, NCAA president Charlie Baker said Sunday the current policy is “reasonably consistent” with policies from governing boards across the country and internationally. He said the NCAA policy has been “adjusted several times and we’ll just continue to act on that based on data that’s available and also how we fit into the grander scheme of what’s going on with sports generally.”

A study in 2019 conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that an average of 1.8% of high school students identify as transgender. When coupled with a 2017 study from the HRC — which estimated that just 14% of transgender boys and 12% of transgender girls participate in youth sports — data suggests the number of transgender athletes participating in college athletics to be quite small.

This issue has sparked legislation across dozens of states seeking to prevent the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports. In April 2023, the Republican-majority House passed a bill that blocked transgender girls and women from participating in school athletic programs for female athletes. 

According to data compiled by the Movement Advancement Project, 24 states have passed laws banning transgender youth from participating in sports on teams that match their gender identity. Alaska also has regulations on trans youth in sports.

Just Wednesday, Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a bill that would have banned transgender and gender nonconforming youth from participating on school athletic teams that align with their gender identity.

Contributing: USA TODAY Sports reporter Lindsay Schnell from Cleveland; Laura Schulte and Kinsey Crowley, USA TODAY NETWORK