The Virginia High School League (VHSL) has announced that it will comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender athletes assigned male at birth from competing in girls’ sports. The executive order was signed on February 5 and is based on the belief that allowing transgender women and girls to participate in women’s sports violates Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. VHSL represents 318 member schools and over 177,000 student athletes.
Governor Glenn Youngkin urged VHSL to comply with the executive order, stating that Virginia schools are at risk of losing millions of dollars in federal school funding if they do not. This decision comes after the NCAA, which governs collegiate athletics, announced that it would comply with the order.
In 2023, VHSL declined to accept Youngkin’s model policies that required students to play on sports teams matching their gender assigned at birth. At that time, VHSL maintained its policy, citing a lack of clear enforcement guidelines in Youngkin’s proposals.
VHSL will now adjust its handbook and policy manual to comply with the executive order. The organization’s decision has sparked controversy and raises questions about the rights of transgender athletes in school sports.
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