Topics: Donald Trump, News, Olympics, Politics, Sport, US News, World News, Transgender, LGBTQ
President Trump is taking aim at the transgender community once more.
Trump has signed a flurry of executive orders since returning to office less than a month ago.
One order sees transgender people being prohibited from serving in the military, while another will see transgender women no longer housed in female prisons.
Now, in a third transgender-focused order signed yesterday (February 5), Trump wants transgender women to be banned from competing in female sports.
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As per the order, which is titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports', the Trump administration wants the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to 'change everything having to do with the Olympics and having to do with this absolutely ridiculous subject' ahead of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
The order empowers the Secretary of State’s Office to pressure the IOC to amend standards governing Olympic sporting events 'to promote fairness, safety and the best interests of female athletes by ensuring that eligibility for participation in women’s sporting events is determined according to sex and not gender identity or testosterone reduction'.
As well as this, the order wants the 'immediate reinforcement' against schools and athletic associations that deny women single-sex sports and single-sex changing rooms, Sky News reports.
The order also calls for the secretary of state and the Department of Homeland Security to 'review and adjust, as needed, policies permitting admission to the United States of males seeking to participate in women’s sports'.
There is no evidence male athletes have competed in women’s Olympics events.
Speaking before signing the controversial order, Trump said: "From now on, women's sports will be only for women.
"We've gotten the woke lunacy out of our military and now we're getting it out of women's sports."
Addressing Los Angeles hosting the Olympics, he continued: "In Los Angeles in 2028, my administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes. We're not going to let it happen.
"Just to make sure, I'm also directing our secretary of homeland security to deny any and all visa applications made by men attempting to fraudulently enter the US while identifying as women athletes to try and get into the games."
While officials with the LA28 organising committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment, outgoing IOC President Thomas Bach said in December that Olympic organisers were 'very confident' they could work with the Trump administration, says PA.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT national hotline at 888-843-4564, available Monday to Friday 4pm-12am ET and 12pm-5pm ET on Saturdays.
