Transgender Women Athletes and US Visas
By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
It has been announced that the US Department of Homeland Security is updating its visa guidance, which will bar transgender women athletes from obtaining “extraordinary ability” visas to compete in female sports in the US.
This is the result of an Executive Order that President Trump signed on 5 February 2025.
The guidance does not use the word “transgender” or refer to “trans women”; but refers to “male athletes” who seek to compete in women’s sports.
A spokesperson for the US Citizen and Immigration Services stated that:
“The agency is closing the loophole for foreign male athletes whose only chance at winning elite sports is to change their gender identity and leverage their biological advantages against women.”
And added that:
“It’s a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth that only female athletes receive a visa to come to the U.S. to participate in women’s sports. The Trump Administration is standing up for the silent majority who’ve long been victims of leftist policies that defy common sense.”
The new guidance may affect athletes who are planning to travel to Los Angeles for the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, although the US Olympic and Paralympic Committees have already banned, in July 2025, transgender women from competing in female sports.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw maybe contacted by e-mail at ‘
