Are transgender sports bans really about protecting women? Survey data tells a different story

Bans on transgender athletes like sprinter Sadie Schreiner, center, are often framed as protecting women. Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Relatively few transgender athletes participate in high school and collegiate sports. Still, since 2020, 27 states have passed laws banning them from participating in sports based on their gender identity.

Just weeks after his second inauguration in 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting transgender women and girls from participating in women’s sports in K-12 schools, colleges and universities that receive federal funds. Supporters of these bans often argue that they protect women and girls from unfair or unsafe competition. As Trump said at the signing ceremony: “we will not allow men to beat up, injure and cheat our women and our girls.”