NAIA bans transgender athletes from women’s sports [Video]

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the governing body for mostly small colleges, announced a policy Monday that essentially bans transgender athletes from women’s sports.

The NAIA’s Council of Presidents approved the policy in a 20-0 vote Monday, according to CBS Sports. The NAIA, which oversees some 83,000 athletes at schools across the country, is believed to be the first college sports organization to take such a step.

According to the transgender participation policy, all athletes may participate in NAIA-sponsored male sports but only athletes whose biological sex is female and have not begun hormone therapy will be allowed to participate in women’s sports.

A student who has begun hormone therapy may participate in activities such as workouts, practices and team activities, but not in interscholastic competition.

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“With the exception of competitive cheer and competitive dance, the NAIA created separate categories for male and female participants,” the NAIA said. “Each …