Former President Donald Trump has set in motion an executive order aimed at preventing transgender student athletes from competing in women’s sports while also threatening to strip federal funding from institutions that do not adhere to this policy. His announcement on Wednesday could further restrict transgender athletes’ participation in the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Schools that benefit from taxpayer funding have been put “on alert” that they risk losing federal dollars if they fail to comply with this new directive, Trump emphasized while signing the order with a group of supporters at the White House.

“Going forward, women’s sports will solely be for women,” he stated.

The executive order instructs the Department of Education, which Trump has expressed desires to disband, to initiate “enforcement actions” in line with Title IX— the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational settings. There are doubts among legal experts about the legitimacy of the Trump administration’s interpretation of this law when it comes to court validity.

“Trump is articulating his view of Title IX,” commented Texas attorney Scott Schneider, who specializes in Title IX cases. “In the end, this is a legal issue that is actively being contested, and courts have shown differing interpretations than what’s laid out in this executive order.”

The Biden administration had previously expanded protections for transgender students through new Title IX regulations, yet these were recently overturned by a federal judge. Now, Trump aims to leverage the law against educational institutions that support trans-inclusive policies.

Every federal agency is instructed to examine educational grants under this new order and to halt funding for programs that don’t align with it.

The order also mandates the Departments of Homeland Security and State to oversee the entry of transgender athletes. These agencies will work to prevent transgender women from entering the U.S. for sports competitions. Trump announced that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem would “deny all visa applications” from transgender female athletes, which could have repercussions for those intending to compete in the 2028 Summer Olympics.

Furthermore, Trump mentioned that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would engage with Olympic organizers regarding their transgender policies. The International Olympic Committee gives each sport’s governing body the authority to establish rules around transgender participation.

During his campaign, Trump made it clear that he was against allowing transgender athletes to participate in women’s sports and presented this executive order as a fulfillment of that promise. He gathered lawmakers and children wearing athletic jerseys in the East Room of the White House to celebrate the signing of this order, which is part of several early actions his administration has taken against transgender individuals.

However, legal and civil rights authorities have argued that it’s uncertain whether Trump has the power to enforce such extensive restrictions immediately on a federal level. To legally bar transgender students from competing in school sports, Congress would need to revise Title IX, or the Education Department would need to initiate new regulations.

The legal rights of transgender student-athletes to play on teams of their choice have yet to be definitively ruled on by the courts, according to Schneider. Because of this, he believes that the president’s declaration may not lead to significant changes.

“There’s no real practical impact from this,” he remarked. “Unless a court decides otherwise in your area or a change to Title IX occurs, things will remain as they are.”

While numerous states have already enacted laws to limit or prevent transgender athletes from competing, there are others that explicitly safeguard their rights.

“Let there be no doubt, several states have tried to establish similar bans. We’ve challenged them in court multiple times and consistently won,” stated Carl Charles, a senior attorney at Lambda Legal. “A nationwide ban is unlikely to succeed without facing similar legal challenges.”

In recent years, the president and other Republicans have often overstated the participation of transgender youth—who account for only 1.4% of American teens, based on federal surveys—in sports. According to a 2017 study involving 17,000 young people, around one in ten transgender boys and a similar ratio for transgender girls participated in sports.

The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives has also recently passed a bill aimed at achieving similar goals as Trump’s order. Restricting the civil rights of transgender individuals has been a frequent topic in Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, which has led to some contention even among Democrats.

This latest order follows former President Biden’s initiatives to enhance protections for LGBTQ+ and transgender students, who reportedly face higher rates of harassment and obstacles in their educational environments. Biden’s attempts, which included revisions to Title IX, faced fierce opposition from conservatives at every turn.

Just prior to Trump taking office, a federal judge struck down the Biden administration’s changes, which had temporarily broadened the definition of sexual misconduct in educational settings to include gender identity.