LUBOK, Texas – The Texas Republican Attorney General hopes the NCAA will take its transgender policy a step further and require athletes competing in women’s sports to gender tests.
AG Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit in state district court in December, claiming Thursday a court order requiring athletes to be gender screened and that the NCAA “only biological women could participate in women.” Added submissions seeking injunctions that prevent them – specific competition. ”
Earlier this month, the NCAA changed its participation policy for trans athletes, limiting competition for women’s sports to athletes assigned women at birth. The move comes the day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at banning transgender athletes from women’s and women’s sports.
Paxton doesn’t think the NCAA will move forward well, as he says there is no mechanism for the NCAA to screen athletes for gender.
“In fact, the lack of NCAA sex screening allows (and continues to allow) biological men to secretly participate in the “female” sports category,” the lawsuit alleges.
Over the past year, transgender athletes have been targeted by critics who say that women’s participation in sports is unfair and has potential safety risks. The topic became a big hit in Trump’s reelection campaign, despite the fact that it was thought to have a very small number of trans athletes. NCAA president Charlie Baker said in December that only 10 trans athletes of more than 500,000 people across the NCAA were aware of.
The NCAA revised policy allows athletes to practice with the female team and receive medical and other benefits, including medical care, by athletes assigned a male at birth. Athletes assigned women at birth when they start hormone therapy can practice with a female team, but cannot compete on a female team without risking their team’s eligibility for the championship.
Paxton also said the NCAA “has changed its birth records for biological men and left plenty of opportunities for women to participate in sports.”
“This policy makes clear that there is no exemption and student-athletes assigned at birth may not compete on women’s teams with revised birth certificates or other forms of ID,” the NCAA said. said in an email response to the Associated Press.
Member Schools – The NCAA has 1,100 but the burden of certifying athlete eligibility for practice and competition. Local, state and federal laws could replace NCAA regulations.
Paxton’s submission refers to the announcement from World Athletics last week, with some of the new recommended guidelines regaining gender testing. This is a practice that has not been part of athletics since the 1990s. Most screenings can be done by wiping the inside of the athlete’s cheeks.
