How NJ school sports defy Trump administration on trans policy

🔷 Trans athlete policy unchanged
🔷 NJ has no cases in high school sports
🔷 College sports follow Trump order

For at least 16 years, New Jersey has not seen any reported high school sports controversies regarding transgender athletes.

The organization that oversees athletics at that level has opted to stay the course and keep its transgender policy unchanged for this year.

Participation at the college level of athletics has changed.

In a flurry of executives orders to start his second term, President Donald Trump recently signed one that threatens to cut federal funding for sports programs that allow any athlete to participate as any gender other than what they were assigned at birth.

Trump signed the order on Feb.5 called “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.”

Shortly after, the NCAA announced it had updated the association's participation policy, limiting competition in women's college sports only to student-athletes assigned female at birth.

SEE ALSO: NJ college trans swimmer sets new record, controversy erupts

The NCAA policy still permits student-athletes assigned male at birth to practice with women's teams and receive benefits such as medical care while practicing.

No reported 'trans' high school sport issues

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association first adopted its transgender policy in 2009. It allows a high school student to participate in sports either by their birth sex or gender identity.

The NJSIAA policy also allows a school to challenge a transgender student’s participation if it is believed it would “adversely affect safety or competition.”

NJSIAA does not keep records of transgender student participation in high school sports - and does not plan on getting involved should any sudden issue arise.

A high school that fails to follow the transgender policy “would be an issue between the school, the student, and the State of New Jersey,” a spokesperson said.

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