Pennsylvania’s girls-only sports teams are now protected from biological males who identify as female thanks to President Donald Trump and the Keystone State’s athletic association.
Surrounded by young female athletes, Trump recently signed an executive order mandating that biological males are no longer able to compete on girls’ teams or share their locker rooms.
Now, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) has changed its policy for girls’ sports to align with Trump’s executive order.
“The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) took an important step in restoring safety, fairness, and opportunity in girls’ sports by aligning its policy with the recent executive order from President Trump,” said Jeremy Samek, senior counsel with Independence Law Center.
“Words matter, and by replacing ‘gender’ with ‘sex,’ this update clarifies that girls will not have to compete against biological males in their own sports.”
Trump’s executive order, referenced in the PIAA changes, defines sex as an “individual’s immutable biological classification as either male or female” and explicitly states that “sex is not a synonym for and does not include the concept of ‘gender identity,’” he said.
“Schools in Pennsylvania must still ensure their district policy reflects this change,” said Samek. “These policies not only safeguard fairness and safety of the female students but also protect schools from potential loss of federal funding. There also remains an urgent need for Pennsylvania to pass Senate Bill 9, ensuring a clear and enforceable standard that protects girls’ sports across all schools.”
Indeed, Maine faces the threat of federal funding after Gov. Janet Mills (D) argued with Trump and told him she would see him in court over the issue.
“We applaud the numerous school districts that have already enacted policies protecting female athletes,” said Samek. “We remain committed to advocating for a future where girls can compete in sports without dangerous, unfair disadvantages and where their achievements are fully recognized.”
However, some school districts have apparently not gotten the memo, including the Great Valley School District in Malvern.
Former School Board President Bruce Chambers is considering filing a Title IX action against the district after it rebuffed his request to change its Policy 103.3, which says that students can plan on teams matching their “gender identity” rather than their biological sex.
Asked why he’s concerned since he no longer has children in the district schools, Chambers said, “I care because that policy, along with many other DEI initiatives, is wrong. It discriminates against women and girls. I also care because I pay a lot of property taxes, which are supposed to fund education, not social indoctrination. And our academic results are miserable, yet the board and administration spend their time and money on policies that hurt our young people rather than trying to improve their education.”
Theresa Marsden, a spokeswoman for Great Valley did not respond to requests to comment.
Josue Sierra, director of communications for Independence Law Center, said, “When 77 percent of parents across the political spectrum agree that biological differences matter in athletic competition, this isn’t a partisan or divisive issue – it’s unifying in biological reality and common sense. We’re ensuring all students have fair opportunities to excel.”
