The NCAA Board of Governors on Monday released a statement supporting transgender student-athletes and stated its policy directs it to only hold championships in places that are “safe, healthy and free of discrimination.”
“The NCAA Board of Governors firmly and unequivocally supports the opportunity for transgender student-athletes to compete in college sports. This commitment is grounded in our values of inclusion and fair competition,” the statement reads.
The NCAA, which oversees college athletes, said it has a “long-standing policy” that provides a more inclusive path for transgender participation in college sports.
“Our approach — which requires testosterone suppression treatment for transgender women to compete in women’s sports — embraces the evolving science on this issue and is anchored in participation policies of both the International Olympic Committee and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee.”
They said their expectation as the Association’s top governing body is that “all student-athletes will be treated with dignity and respect.”
“We are committed to ensuring that NCAA championships are open for all who earn the right to compete in them,” they said. “The NCAA will continue to closely monitor these situations to determine whether NCAA championships can be conducted in ways that are welcoming and respectful of all participants.”
Conservative lawmakers in at least 28 states have introduced legislation to ban or limit transgender athletes from competing on teams or sports that align with their gender identity. Laws banning transgender women and girls from participating in organized sports have been signed in Idaho, Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas.
