Robert Besser
26 Feb 2025, 09:12 GMT+10
LUBBOCK, Texas: The Republican attorney general of Texas, Ken Paxton, wants the NCAA to strengthen its transgender athlete policy by requiring gender testing for athletes competing in women's sports.
In December, Paxton filed a lawsuit in state court and added a request on February 20 for a court order to enforce gender screening and stop the NCAA from claiming that only biological women can compete in female-only competitions.
Earlier this month, the NCAA updated its policy to limit participation in women's sports to those assigned female at birth. This change came shortly after former President Donald Trump signed an order aiming to ban transgender athletes from competing in women's and girls' sports.
Paxton believes the NCAA's policy doesn't go far enough since it doesn't have a system to check athletes' biological sex. His lawsuit claims that, without screening, biological men could continue to compete in women's sports without being noticed.
Critics argue that allowing transgender athletes in women's sports is unfair and could pose safety risks. However, the NCAA says there are very few transgender athletes—only about 10 out of over 500,000.
Under the NCAA's new policy, athletes assigned male at birth can practice with women's teams and access benefits like medical care. Athletes assigned female at birth who start hormone therapy can practice with a women's team but cannot compete without risking the team's eligibility for championships.
Paxton also claims that the NCAA leaves room for biological men to change their birth records and join women's sports, a claim the NCAA denies. The organization says that no athlete assigned male at birth can compete on a women's team, even with changed identification documents.
The lawsuit also mentions World Athletics' recent announcement that gender testing could return for track and field athletes, a practice largely stopped in the 1990s. These tests can often be done with a simple cheek swab.
Get a daily dose of Austin Globe news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Austin Globe.
More InformationTOKYO, Japan: Foxconn has approached Honda Motor with a proposal to form a partnership, aiming to establish a broader collaboration...
NEW YORK, New York - There was a mix of gains and losses in the United States on Tuesday with tech stocks selling off, and industrials...
BERLIN, Germany: Audi is moving forward with plans to expand production in North America, and CEO Gernot Doellner said a decision on...
TOKYO, Japan: The Bank of Japan is expected to raise interest rates at least once more this year, likely in the third quarter, bringing...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. stock markets closed lower on Monday, with the major indexes showing mixed performances as investors digested...
BLAGNAC, France: Airbus has set a target of delivering around 820 commercial jets in 2025, marking a seven percent increase from the...
LUBBOCK, Texas: The Republican attorney general of Texas, Ken Paxton, wants the NCAA to strengthen its transgender athlete policy by...
HANCEVILLE, Alabama: A grand jury has recommended shutting down a small police department in Alabama due to widespread corruption after...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Pentagon said this week that it has asked the military to find ways to cut about $50 billion from the 2026 budget....
HOUSTON, Texas: Two strong earthquakes hit the Permian Basin, the largest U.S. oilfield, this week, shaking the Texas oil industry...
DALLAS, Texas: Southwest Airlines is laying off 1,750 employees, or 15 percent of its corporate staff, in the company's first significant...
(Photo credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images) Cal will have its top player while SMU probably won't when the Atlantic Coast Conference...