By Kalena Reynolds | Staff Writer
In February, the NCAA announced a change in participation for transgender student-athletes following the Trump Administration’s executive orders. This new policy allows only student-athletes assigned female at birth to compete in women’s sports, while the men’s category is open to both.
While there have been many arguments as to why this decision was made — such as ensuring athletes assigned female at birth are given equal opportunity as well as keeping female athletes safe — rarely has the media highlighted how female athletes actually feel about this.
The truth is complicated, but as a female athlete, I believe there are multiple roadblocks that have occurred from this policy change. Firstly, no solution has occurred from the change. This should be the most alarming part due to the update’s lack of modern results.
Change is unavoidable, and the current policy update denies that. Eventually, this topic will have to be evaluated, therefore wasting more time and resources for athletes, the NCAA and policymakers.
Whether you support it or not, transgender athletes exist, and right now, we are pretending like they don’t. Eventually, we will have to face this truth again.
The harsh reality is that either side is unfair.
From a biological standpoint, it is unfair to allow male athletes who have transitioned after puberty to compete against biologically female athletes.
“Prior to gender affirming hormones, [transgender women] performed 31% more push-ups and 15% more sit-ups in one minute and ran 1.5 miles 21% faster than their female counterparts.” According to the British Journal of Sport Medicine. “After two years of taking feminising hormones, the push-up and sit-up differences disappeared, but trans women were still 12% faster.”
While there is no linear solution to this, one might be to create a separate event for transgender athletes specifically.
Aside from biological and physical differences, there is also, of course, the controversial locker room talk. Political activist and former swimmer Riley Gaines spoke out about how transgender athletes make female athletes uncomfortable in the locker room due to being forced to share a changing area.
While women’s safety should always be prioritized, people should not base their arguments on this ideology. The truth is this is a very simple solution we consistently deal with in the general world.
There are usually family bathrooms or private changing areas in public spaces and athletic facilities, so why not resort to that? It’s not ideal to completely segregate people, but it provides a straightforward answer to the debate of possibly compromising female athletes in the locker room.
It is also important to remember these are people we are talking about, and the demands of a Division I sport are seemingly not going to be the most applicable environment for anyone whose only intention is to prey on women.
Between early morning lifts, late night tutoring sessions and physically demanding practices, the path of a Division I athlete takes extreme dedication and mental toughness. Female athletes need to be protected, but the challenging nature of the position doesn’t necessarily point toward an “easy” route of exploitation.
The NCAA requires background checks on all athletes as well as vetting histories of sexual misconduct and violence. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reported “one in five women is sexually assaulted while in college.
Meanwhile, in December of 2024, NCAA President Charlie Baker testified that out of more than 500,000 total college student athletes, he believed fewer than 10 were transgender. Ultimately, this showcases that transgender athletes are not the problem when it comes to protecting women.
Here is the reality: this policy facilitates inequality and ultimately creates even more problems for future lawmakers. Unfortunately, this change also comes without a solution. Still, the transgender community are normal people who should be recognized as equals.
While the answer for what the best solution is lies in an intricate pool of gray area, coming from a female athlete, it’s clear the current way the issue is being handled is the equivalent of trying to cover a fire hydrant with duct tape.
