President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday blocking transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.

The Details: The order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” allows the Education Department to penalize schools for allowing transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports if the schools receive Title IX funding. The order requires schools abiding by Title IX to align with the Trump administration’s interpretation of sex as one’s gender assigned at birth.

Key Quotes: Trump said “the war on women’s sports is over” at the signing ceremony. He announced that his administration will “defend the proud tradition of female athletes, and we will not allow men to beat up, injure and cheat our women and our girls.” 

How the Media Covered It: Associated Press (Left bias) described this order as the “latest of a series of moves by the Trump administration targeting transgender people.” The article also featured the president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, Fatima Goss Graves, saying, “Contrary to what the president wants you to believe, trans students do not pose threats to sports, schools or this country, and they deserve the same opportunities as their peers to learn, play and grow up in safe environments.” BBC (Center bias) summarized views from two angles, reporting that “Republicans say it restores fairness to sports but LGBT advocacy and human rights organisations have described the move as discriminatory.” Washington Examiner (Lean Right) quoted multiple sources from Trump’s administration, including a White House official who called the Biden administration’s policies “a slap in the face” to female athletes.