USA Rugby has announced a revolutionary ‘open’ category, which will allow trans athletes to continue competing in the sport.
This follows President Donald Trump’s ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’ executive order, which has banned biological men from competing in female sports.
The executive order is designed to protect female athletes and to provide a fairer sporting landscape. The idea with the ‘open’ category is that any athlete can enter, regardless of biological orientation at birth or otherwise.
The order, which was published on February 5, 2025, reads as follows: ‘In recent years, many educational institutions and athletic associations have allowed men to compete in women’s sports. This is demeaning, unfair, and dangerous to women and girls, and denies women and girls the equal opportunity to participate and excel in competitive sports.
‘Moreover, under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 (Title IX), educational institutions receiving Federal funds cannot deny women an equal opportunity to participate in sports. As some Federal courts have recognized, “ignoring fundamental biological truths between the two sexes deprives women and girls of meaningful access to educational facilities.” Tennessee v. Cardona, 24-cv-00072 at 73 (E.D. Ky. 2024). See also Kansas v. U.S. Dept. of Education, 24-cv-04041 at 23 (D. Kan. 2024) (highlighting “Congress’ goals of protecting biological women in education”).
‘Therefore, it is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy. It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.’
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This order follows World Rugby’s decision in 2020 to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s rugby due to ‘the size, force and power-producing advantages conferred by testosterone during puberty and adolescence, and the resultant player welfare risks this creates.’
It’s worth noting that transgender athletes can still compete against women in many non-World Rugby-sanctioned competitions, including the Bingham Cup, which is unofficially referred to as the ‘Gay Rugby World Cup’.
The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee have ordered all governing bodies to comply with Trump’s order, and USA Rugby’s new category comes as a likely result.
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A statement released by USA Rugby reads: ‘In response to the United States Administration’s issuance of Executive Order 14201, which the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee has determined applies to all National Governing Bodies (NGBs), USA Rugby is required to comply and update the terms that identify eligibility for gender categories.
‘In accordance with the policy update, USA Rugby will now have three competition categories: Men’s Division, Women’s Division and Open Division. The Open Division will permit any athlete, regardless of gender assigned at birth and gender identity, to compete in USA Rugby-sanctioned events, whether full contact or non-contact. Open Division events will be granted following a review process and approved on a per-tournament basis.’