San Jose State and Penn face inquiries in Trump crackdown on transgender athletes The Trump administration is investigating potential civil rights violations at two universities and a high school sports league that allowed transgender athletes to compete on women's teams, the Education Department said Thursday.
In his order, Trump directed federal agencies to “rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities.” The Education Department's Office for Civil Rights can move to cut federal money for institutions that violate civil rights, but only if it's approved by a judge and if the office fails to negotiate a resolution.
According to the Education Department, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association allowed a transgender athlete to compete on a girls' high school basketball team, prompting an opposing team to forfeit after three players were reportedly injured.
“The previous administration trampled the rights of American women and girls — and ignored the indignities to which they were subjected in bathrooms and locker rooms — to promote a radical transgender ideology,” said Craig Trainor, the department's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
It comes a day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order intended to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
