Should athletes born male be allowed to compete in female sports?

You would think the answer would be a resounding “NO”!

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But unfortunately, the answer in this fallen world isn’t so clear cut.

We’ve seen story after story in the U.S. of girls and women losing to teams with trans athletes or trans competitors, or worse, girls being seriously injured by opposing trans athletes.

The U.N. reports that nearly 900 medals have been stolen from female athletes and won by biological men competing in female sports.

In 2024, two trans females (men pretending to be female) competed for gold in the Olympic boxing finals at the Paris Olympics in 2024. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed the boxers to compete because they both identified as female on their passports.

Whether a trans athlete can compete in women’s Olympic sports is up to the individual sport’s governing bodies. It’s a bit of a hodge podge of rules based on the individual sport, and the IOC has been reluctant in the past to issue a blanket trans ban. But thankfully, more sports organizations are banning trans athletes from competing on women’s teams if they gave gone through male puberty.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that the U.S. could require ‘sex at birth’ identification on U.S. passports.  The International Boxing Association now requires gene testing for the Y chromosome.  World Athletics also requires sex testing to verify biological sex before competing.

A One-Way Trend

Trans athletes appear to be a one-way athletic trend — trans females competing in women’s sports. No trans males (women pretending to be male) are competing in men’s sports.

The 2028 Summer Olympics will be held in Los Angeles. This past week news reports indicated that the IOC was ready to ban trans athletes from competing in female sports. This report, however, is not true– yet.

Last summer, the IOC’s new president, Kristy Coventry, established a working group, called the Protection of the Female Category, to study the gender identity issue in sports and “balance fairness with inclusion.”  Ms. Coventry, the first woman to hold the position of IOC president, believes the IOC should “take the lead” in transgender participation in all Olympic games.

After a recent medical presentation to the working group, it’s being reported that an Olympic trans ban on all games is likely in 2026. Dr. Jane Thornton, IOC’s Director of Health, Medicine and Science, reported that “athletes born male retain physiological advantages, even after reducing testosterone levels.”

The ban is expected to be voted on in February 2026. And, it appears the IOC is poised to ban all trans-female athletes in competing in women’s sports.

Unfortunately, any 2026 ban would not be in time for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy, but could be in effect for 2028 Summer Games in L.A.

U.S. Bans Trans Athletes from Competing in Olympic Sports

Om February 5, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order banning trans-females from competing in women’s sports in U.S. schools. Many school districts defied his order, including the California Department of Education.

President Trump said he plans to apply his order to the L.A. Olympics in 2028. He said, “In Los Angeles in 2028, my administration will not stand by and watch men beat and batter female athletes.” The president has instructed the State Department not to grant visas to transgender athletes from other countries planning to compete in the 2028 Olympics.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has already barred trans athletes from competing in women’s sports. Ironically, the National Women’s Law Center, whose mission it is to fight for “gender justice… central to the lives of women and girls”, condemns the U.S. banning trans women athletes. I can’t think of anything more central to a woman’s life than supporting women’s rights against unfair physical advantages in sports.

U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Trans Athlete Ban Cases in January

Just days after news reports began to circulate that the IOC was poised to ban transgender athletes from competing in female sports after a presentation from their Medical Director that studies show biological males do have a physical advantage over female athletes, the U.S. Supreme Court announced the date it will hear oral arguments in two cases involving trans athlete bans.

Will the Supreme Court take into consideration the IOC declaring that there is scientific and medical evidence to conclude males do have a physical advantage over females? If so, how is it then “fair” to include biological males in female sports?

These two cases, Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J., both deal with the constitutionality of state laws banning biological males from playing on women’s sports teams.

Lindsay Hecox is a male student at Boise State University who “identifies” as female. He wanted to join the women’s track and cross-country team, but Idaho passed a ban on transgender athletes playing in female sports. The lower courts agreed with Linday’s argument that banning him from playing on women’s teams is in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause. Idaho petitioned the Supreme Court to uphold the ban, which is similar to two dozen other state bans protecting women’s sports.

Becky Pepper-Jackson, a biological male identifying as female, lives in West Virginia. He too wants to join the girls’ cross country and track teams at his high school. West Virginia also has a ban on boys playing in girls’ sports. The lower courts had ruled that “Becky’s” exclusion violated Title IX. West Virginia appealed to the Supreme Court asking the Court to decide if Title IX prevents a state from designating boys’ and girls’ teams based on biological sex alone.

For more details on these two cases, please see the IFA article here.

The Supreme Court has scheduled oral arguments in both these cases for Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Deciding to uphold the state bans as constitutional could be the end of men competing in women’s sports, as more sports federations could use the Supreme Court decision, along with an Olympic ban, to finally acknowledge the unfairness and danger to women in allowing transgender athletes to compete in female sports.

In addition, the U.K. Supreme Court in a unanimous decision in April 2025 ruled the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex. It is someone “born biologically female.” The judgement reads, the “concept of sex is binary, a person is either a woman or a man.”

Let’s pray the U.S. Supreme Court includes such definitive, simple and truthful language in their upcoming decision on the trans athlete state bans.

Let’s Pray

Heavenly Father, we thank you that your Divine Truth of creation of two biological sexes – male and female – is once more being restored in the world today. We pray for discernment and heavenly wisdom to fall upon the International Olympic Committee as they vote in February 2026 on banning transgender athletes. May truth and a desire to protect women from unfairness and harm rule in their hearts instead of a misguided notion to include athletes who are not biologically female.

We pray for every Supreme Court Justice to rule according to Your will in Little v. Hecox and West Virginia v. B.P.J. Pour your Holy Spirit over their hearings and open their hearts and minds to the wisdom of Your creation law.  We pray that the Supreme Court Justices would rule unanimously to uphold the trans athlete bans and rule decisively that sex is binary and there are only two sexes – male and female.

We pray for all those believing the transgender lies that You will “open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith.” (Acts 26:18)

We pray for every person who is confused and declaring themselves to be a sex they are biologically not. Please lift the confusion and suffering from their minds and bodies. Heal them, redeem them, and show them the abundant life waiting for them in the loving embrace of Jesus, within whom their true identity lies. Reveal to them Lord, that their body is “the temple of the Holy Sprit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own. For you were bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (I Corinthians 6:19-20)

In Jesus Name Amen.

Belinda Brewster analyzes cultural, political, and world events from a biblical worldview. Belinda’s passion is to equip, support, and encourage parents and grandparents who are courageously battling against the spiritual and cultural forces impacting children and grandchildren.

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