Last Wednesday, America celebrated National Girl and Women in Sports Day, celebrating the many incredible achievements and accomplishments of women in sports.
This day, according to the Women’s Sports Foundation website, “honors the achievements of girls and women in sports and continues to lead her forward by acknowledging the power of sports to unlock her limitless potential.”
Donald Trump celebrated the holiday by protecting the integrity of women’s sports, signing the executive order “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” while surrounded by many women hoping to see their sport protected.
“In recent years, many educational institutions and athletic associations have allowed men to compete in women’s sports,” the order reads. “This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.”
The order goes further to state that funds will be rescinded from educational programs that “deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy.”
“With this executive order, the war on women’s sports is over,” Trump said at the ceremony.
Although I agree with Trump’s actions, I unfortunately disagree that the war is over. It is far from over, but this order is a solid step forward to ensure a fair atmosphere of sport is maintained for women.
In response to the order, the NCAA has created a new policy to follow suit as of February 6.
“A student-athlete assigned male at birth may not compete on a women’s team,” the website reads. “A student-athlete assigned female at birth who has begun hormone therapy (e.g., testosterone) may not compete on a women’s team. If such competition occurs, the team is subject to NCAA mixed-team legislation, and the team will no longer be eligible for NCAA women’s championships.”
Although an athlete assigned male at birth cannot compete in active competition with biological females, that individual is still allowed to practice with whoever they wish and receive every benefit that any athlete would. And the same goes for an athlete who was assigned female at birth but has begun hormone replacement therapy (HRT). That individual can also essentially practice with any team of their choice.
However, the NCAA’s rule is clear. If these rules are broken, the team will no longer be eligible for NCAA women’s championships.
How these rules will play out will be seen immediately, as Sadie Schreiner, a transgender athlete who was assigned male at birth, currently holds second place in Women’s Division III in the 400 meter dash and the 200 meter dash. Schreiner, who holds Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT) school records in these events, has been on hormone replacement therapy for two years, according to an Instagram post outlining what to expect when going through the details of the transition process from late January.
“I am slower than I was in 8th grade,” a section of the post reads.
Although that may be the case, Schreiner now sits in the top two spots for two of the most competitive sprint events in Division III.
Along with this Instagram post, Schreiner’s Instagram bio reads, “Your government’s least favorite athlete,” followed by a transgender flag.
Right behind Schreiner in the 200 and 400 meter dash rankings is Millikin’s own De’Andranay Chism, who has had one of the greatest, if not the greatest seasons in Millikin Track and Field history, not just the Women’s team. Chism now boasts school records in the 60 meter dash, the 200 meter dash, and the 400 meter dash, and she is in her first semester of college competition as a freshman.
This is an incredible accomplishment, especially as a freshman. Will Trump’s measures be enough to ensure that she and every other biological woman has every opportunity to qualify for the national meet? Only time will tell.
Should Schreiner be banned from competing altogether? Absolutely not. Sports are games, and they always will be, regardless of how much weight our society places on them. Everyone will be done competing one day.
However, at a collegiate level and especially a championship level, fairness matters. If Schreiner’s eighth grade times are enough to qualify for the Division III Championship meet, clearly a boundary needs to be drawn and upheld.
At the same time, I have no idea and could not imagine all that Sadie Schreiner is going through, and I am extremely aware of that.
“There’s thousands of people online praying that you lose,” a comment on Schreiner’s Instagram reads.
I understand the frustration that people feel. I have felt that same frustration at times. However, spreading hate online is not the correct way to go about something like this.
I do not desire for any hatred towards transgender athletes as a result of these rules. There is no room in this country for any more hatred towards any single group of people.
At the end of the day, biological women must be protected and fairness must be upheld, especially at a championship or collegiate level of sport. Protecting one group of people does not call for hatred of another.
