In a swift move, President Trump signed an executive order, his first day in office, protecting women and girls in sports. The President affirmed that his Administration will protect female athletes from the danger of competing against and the indignity of sharing private spaces with someone of the opposite sex. This Executive Order is both a demonstration of common sense and a restoration of our country’s promise to give women equal opportunities.

"This isn't about exclusion—it's about preserving opportunities for women and girls to excel on a level playing field. I urge Oregon and the OSAA to follow this commonsense approach and will continue to advocate for that," says Oregon State Representative Shelly Boshart Davis (R, Albany).

A recent statewide poll commissioned by House Republicans revealed that 69% of Oregonians oppose OSAA's current policy of allowing biological males to compete in women's sports.

Republicans have introduced several pieces of legislation to protect women’s sports and are united in protecting women.

• House Bill 2037 ensures that only biological women can enter women’s intimate spaces and participate in women’s sports in school.
• LC 3895 seeks to restore safety and fairness in women’s sports by prohibiting biological males, in Oregon's K-12 schools, from competing in extracurricular sports designed for biological females.
• SB 618 is similar to LC 3895 focused on prohibiting biological males, in Oregon's K-12 schools, from competing in extracurricular sports designed for biological females.

Boshart Davis praised President Donald Trump's executive order titled "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports," which reinforces federal protections for female athletes under Title IX. The order mandates that schools and athletic organizations uphold single-sex sports categories based on biological sex, ensuring fairness and safety in women's competitions.

Boshart Davis said. "For decades, women fought for equal opportunities in athletics. Allowing biological males to compete in female categories undermines these hard-won rights and puts female athletes at an unfair disadvantage."

The executive order directs federal agencies to interpret Title IX—the 1972 law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education—as barring biological males from participating in female sports. Institutions violating these guidelines risk losing federal funding and facing legal action.

The Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA) makes policies for sports teams in schools. They are figuring out what changes are necessary and how to apply them locally. The association’s current policy is to allow transgender girls on girls' sports teams, because Oregon law prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, which includes gender identity. Oregon law also allows changing gender according to ones current feelings.

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A D V E R T I S E M E N T

House Minority Leader Christine Drazan (R-Canby), told KGW, it’s not all or nothing. “I think that there is absolutely an important path here where transgender athletes have the opportunity to compete that they deserve, that this does not have to be an either or moment. We don't have to sacrifice safety and the opportunity to compete and win for women and for people that are biological females.” It appears she isn't leaving out developing a league for transgenders.

HB 3041 passed in 2021 clarified existing anti-discrimination protections by adding “gender identity” to all Oregon laws that use “sexual orientation” in the text of the law. Oregon statutes provide comprehensive protections against discrimination for protected groups in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, health care and law enforcement profiling laws that have discriminatory motivation. However, the President's executive order is based on safety and equal body development for fairness in sports. Now the Oregon legislators are being challenged to stand for minority rights in fairness for women and do their job to keep them safe.


--Donna Bleiler

Post Date: 2025-02-09 11:30:12

Last Update: 2025-02-10 01:30:20