The administration says allowing males to compete in female sports violates Title IX, the 1972 federal law that bans discrimination in education based on sex. Proponents of Trump’s ban say it restores fairness in athletic competitions.
The U.S. Education Department's Office of Civil Rights opened the Oregon investigation based on a complaint by the America First Policy Institute that alleges high-school aged female athletes had lost medals and competitive opportunities to male athletes. It follows a probe launched earlier this year into Portland Public Schools and the state’s governing body for high school sports over alleged violations of Title IX for allowing boys to compete in girls sports.
Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Craig Trainor said in a release Friday that the administration won't let educational institutions receive federal funds "to continue trampling upon women’s rights.”
“If Oregon is permitting males to compete in women’s sports, it is allowing these males to steal the accolades and opportunities that female competitors have rightfully earned through hard work and grit, while callously disregarding women’s and girls’ safety, dignity, and privacy," Trainor said.
