The National Collegiate Athletic Association issued a new policy banning people assigned male at birth from competing on women’s athletics teams, regardless of gender identity. Athletes assigned female at birth may still compete on women’s teams, so long as they are not on hormone therapy. Participation in team practices will be largely unaffected.
The decision from the NCAA stems from an executive order by the Trump administration titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which was signed on Feb. 5.
The order states that it aims to ensure competitiveness in women’s sports and “combat gender ideology extremism.” “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” is Trump’s fourth executive order targeting transgender Americans since he took office less than a month ago.
Neither Tufts’ administration nor athletics department have issued a statement to the wider community about the new NCAA guidelines. Patrick Collins, the executive director of public relations at Tufts, reached out to the Daily with a joint statement.
“The New England Small College Athletic Conference is conferring about this policy change, and the university will have a further update after the conference has concluded its discussions,” Collins wrote in a statement to the Daily.
The Tufts chapter of Athlete Ally, a nationwide non-profit organization that aims to increase LGBTQ+ inclusivity and representation, is working to provide support for queer students distressed by the new NCAA policy.
“I think that within Tufts, the best thing that we have found to do is continue with our mission of creating these safe spaces for all athletes,” commented Peter McCormick, a junior and communications director for Tufts Athlete Ally. “In this kind of climate, where trans women athletes are being excluded from university athletic communities … it’s a sign that our work is important and that we need to keep continuing to hold these consistent spaces for all athletes.”
Yet Tufts Athlete Ally remains concerned about how the executive order will affect the queer community, both at Tufts and throughout the United States.
“I think that pretty much school-wide, the reaction is a lot of disappointment and a bit of fear over what the future holds … all athletes have that kind of anxiety over their friends, trans athletes that are in their lives, both at Tufts and elsewhere,” McCormick said.
McCormick elaborated that the best way to deal with such concerns is thoughtful listening and the creation of safe spaces.
“How I want to go forward with this is just being an ear for people that need it, and keeping these spaces really present and not staying quiet about these issues,” he said.
Tufts Athlete Ally has been privately contacted by multiple faculty advisors. These include members of the university administration, athletics department and LGBTQ+ Center.
“They actually reached out first and have just been super supportive and asking for any ways that they can support us,” Ryan Kane, a senior and president of Tufts Athlete Ally said.
However, Kane was still perturbed by Tufts’ lack of speed in providing a public stance on the NCAA’s decision.
“We go to one of the most progressive schools in America, but we haven’t really received a statement yet on the university’s stance,” he commented. “It tells us really how political our institution is.”
Both Kane and McCormick are members of Tufts’ varsity rowing team, and the rest of Tufts Athlete Ally’s executive board also compete at the NCAA Division III level. Kane founded the Tufts chapter of Athlete Ally, which is now the largest at any university in the country in all three Divisions, I, II and III.
Kane commented that founding Tufts Athlete Ally came from feeling a lack of belonging in Tufts Athletics, a sentiment many in the transgender community may currently resonate with.
“I really struggled to find a community that was really at my intersection of identities, being an athlete and being a queer person,” Kane said. “I had a hard time really finding people like me. It seems like the university wasn’t really recognizing that there is this community and that they don’t really get a lot of acknowledgement.”
Tufts Athlete Ally issued a statement on their Instagram account reiterating their frustration with the U.S. government and the NCAA while reminding their followers of the number of safe spaces on the Tufts campus for LGBTQ+ students. They concluded with the following:
“Stay outspoken, support organizations that defend trans rights, build spaces that embrace love over hate, and check in on trans people in your life. Change is possible.”
