Athlete Ally Responds to NCAA Pause on Trans Athlete Policy
April 26, 2024 — Today, Athlete Ally responded to news that the NCAA Board of Governors discussed transgender student-athlete participation, and that the current policy remains under review.
“College sports are the premier stage for women’s sports in America and the NCAA will continue to promote Title IX, make unprecedented investments in women’s sports and ensure fair competition for all student-athletes in all NCAA championships,” the statement said.
“With this pause, we hope to see the NCAA work to ensure that inclusivity and non-discrimination are at the forefront of any athlete participation policy,” said Hudson Taylor, Founder and Executive Director of Athlete Ally. “Researchers (as shown by the Canadian Center for Ethics in Sport and the recent British Journal of Sports Medicine article) and athletic experts at the highest levels of sport have continued to land on the side of inclusion over exclusion. Recently, 400+ current and former NCAA, Professional and Olympic/Paralympic athletes and current Women’s March Madness Champion Coach Dawn Staley affirmed that transgender women belong in sports.
Every athlete deserves the opportunity to participate, train hard, and excel in athletics. We are proud to support transgender athletes across the NCAA who shouldn’t have to choose between being who they are and playing the sport they love.”