The clash with President Trump over his efforts to protect women's sports is just beginning

The governor of Maine and President Trump got into it today.

There has been a lot of news in the last few days pertaining to the protection of women’s sports.

On February 5th, President Trump signed an executive order to protect women’s sports.

On February 6th, the NCAA announced their policy stated to be in line with the executive order but is not — because it is riddled with loopholes (which I believe are intentional).

I have many complaints and issues with this policy, first and foremost being THE TITLE. This isn’t about transgender athletes. This is about female athletes and protecting the integrity of women’s sports.

Second, the NCAA goes to great lengths to ensure that “trans” athletes are “included” when they must be excluded from women’s sports without apology. The policy goes on and on about how trans athletes can still enjoy full benefits of participating according to their gender identity, yada yada yada.

No. Be on the men’s team. With other men.

The other issue I have is that this isn’t just about trans-identified athletes. This is about athletes born male who compete or want to compete in women’s. That includes athletes with DSDs, athletes like Imane Khelif who won gold in women’s boxing at the summer Olympics and is male.

Lastly, the policy sets no clear boundary that women’s sports are for XX only. And beyond that, the “proof” they require of being female is a birth certificate which can be altered in 44 states. Even if President Trump decides birth certificates or legal documents can’t be altered (and completes an executive order making it so), we can’t control what other countries do and there are many international students competing in the NCAA. AND lastly, for a student with a DSD there is no altered birth certificate required. They could very well have incorrect birth certificates that are just wrong based on biology/chromosomes.

The net net is: We need a bullet-proof policy that protects the integrity of women’s sports; that makes women’s sports for those born XX only; that tests with a simple non-invasive cheek swab to ensure those competing in women’s are XX; and that only women “enjoy the benefits” of competing in the women’s category in college and K-12 programs. No locker rooms for males. No participating in practices as “females” if you’re male. None of it. Some teams practice with male players. Fine. You can do that. Those male players who are playing in the men’s division do not enjoy any benefits of being on the women’s team.

There is some disagreement amongst the defending women’s sports community. Some think the policy is sufficient. But the vast majority of us have come together to say: No. This will not work. Throw it in the garbage and start over NCAA.

Many states, at this point, have said that they will not comply with the President’s executive order. California, Minnesota, Washington, Maine, to name a few. They are in various states of conflict with the White House at this point. BUT, most notably, in Maine . . .

On February 17, a male high school athlete won the girls’ state pole vault competition during the Maine Indoor Track Meet at Bates College. The athlete previously had competed in the boys’ division for Cumberland’s Greely High School, and placed 5th.

Competing in the women’s category, John-now-“Katie” jumped 11 feet, a mediocre score for boys, but within one inch of Maine’s girls’ pole-vault champion, who set an 11-foot, one-inch record last year at the National Pole Vault Summit.

“Katie” jumped a full eight inches higher than the girl who placed second (the real winner). At the same meet, the boy who won jumped 14 feet. “Katie” would have placed 10th amongst the boys.

This has put Maine in the President’s crosshairs. At the signing of the executive order, he promised to withdraw federal funding from state’s that failed to or refused to comply.

He had this exchange with the Governor of Maine, Janet Mills, today at the National Governors Association session at the White House.

He asked Governor Mills if she was going to comply. She said she would comply with state and federal law (the governors refusing to comply all say it violates their state law). He reminded her that the executive order is federal law. And it ended with “see you in court” from both sides.

A note: Maine received 4 billion in federal funding last year and they seem all too willing to throw it away so that John can steal first place from a girl.

Good for Trump. Not afraid to say I voted for this.

We have a ways to go. There will be lawsuits upon lawsuits. The truth will prevail. But it will take some time as the delusion runs deep.

I can’t believe the hill these governors and states want to die on is ensuring that boys can steal women’s opportunities.

California — I predict you’re next.

Henry Hanlon, who is a male, continues competing on the girls’ basketball team at San Francisco’s Waldorf High School. He scored 29 points in his school’s win (59-33) over the Jewish Community High School this week. I wrote about this situation here. It continues.

While the Waldorf school is private they compete within the California Interscholastic Federation which does receive federal funding. And of course, the school does receive some federal funding — eg they received federal funding during covid.

This ain’t over.