President Donald Trump signed an executive order Feb. 5 called the “No Men in Women’s Sports Executive Order.”
The state organization that oversees most Wisconsin high school athletic programs updated a policy Wednesday to say only athletes, “designated as females at birth” would be allowed to compete in girls sports.
The change by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association comes as the Trump Administration is acting to prohibit transgender women and girls from competing in sports.
WIAA cited compliance with federal directives for its change in policy.
“Working in consultation with legal counsel, our Board updated this policy to ensure clarity is provided to our membership as they work to comply with new federal guidance from the White House,” WIAA Executive Director Stephanie Hauser said in a statement.
Before the change Wednesday, WIAA’s transgender policy, adopted in 2013, allowed students regardless of the sex they were assigned at birth to participate in sports.
At least two Wisconsin school districts have wanted to pass measures to ban trans athletes from school teams.
Arrowhead Union High School and the New London School Board have both advocated for “saving women’s sports” bills.
The board vote is similar to a recent action by the NCAA
