The Nationwide Affiliation of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has introduced a ban on transgender athletes from taking part in girls's sports activities.
“The NAIA promotes honest and secure aggressive alternatives for all student-athletes. Title IX ensures separate and equal alternative for feminine athletes. In consequence, the NAIA gives separate classes of competitors in all sports activities besides aggressive cheer and aggressive dance, each of that are co-ed,” its coverage states.
“Solely feminine NAIA student-athletes whose organic intercourse* is feminine might take part in NAIA-sponsored girls's sports activities,” it provides.
The asterisk results in the NAIA assertion, which reads: “For the needs of this coverage, organic intercourse is outlined by distinguishing marks and could also be evidenced by a start certificates or a signed affidavit. Though uncommon, there have been instances the place the intercourse assigned at start didn’t match the organic intercourse, resulting in using the organic intercourse on this doc.”
The brand new coverage will take impact on August 1, 2024.
NAIA President Jim Carr advised CBS Sports activities, “We all know there are quite a lot of totally different opinions. For us, we believed that our first duty was to create equity and competitors within the NAIA. … We additionally assume it matches the the reason why Title IX was created. You’ll be able to have separate however equal alternatives for ladies to compete.”
Some have known as for the Nationwide Collegiate Athletic Affiliation (NCAA) to take related motion.
Heritage Basis founder Kevin Roberts wrote on X: “A win for widespread sense. Your transfer, @NCAA.”
“At this time, widespread sense wins. It's greater than time for @ncaa to do the identical #protectwomenssports,” Virginia Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears equally wrote.