The NAIA’s Trans Athlete Policy is Problematic
Sports should showcase individual skill and team performance
An athlete can compete in women’s sports only if they were assigned as female at birth, according to a new policy by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). This shift comes amid a larger national debate about trans rights — especially in athletics.
Most U.S. universities and colleges are part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which governs their sports rules. Others belong to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), a national athletic governing body for smaller colleges not affiliated with the NCAA. About 80% of NAIA’s membership consists of private schools.
“For us, we believed our first responsibility was to create fairness and competition in the NAIA. … We also think it aligns with the reasons Title IX was created. You’re allowed to have separate but equal opportunities for women to compete,” NAIA president Jim Carr said.
But no one asked for the governing body to create fairness, only to maintain it.
This Policy Addresses an Imaginary Problem
The NAIA conceded that they do not know of any transgender athletes competing in its competitions…
