Trump administration establishes 'Title IX Special Investigations Team' to defend female athletes

The Trump administration has created a task force to ensure that men do not play in women’s sports, and to help enforce the president’s executive order against such competitions.

The task force, entitled the Title IX Special Investigations Team (SIT), will be a joint effort between the Department of Education and the Department of Justice (DOJ), according to an April 4 press release.

The Education Department announced that the task force had been created in response to a “staggering volume of Title IX complaints,” and that the purpose of the force is to “ensure timely, consistent resolutions” in order to protect female athletes from “the pernicious effects of gender ideology in school programs and activities.”

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The task force will be composed of Education Department attorneys, DOJ civil rights attorneys, and other staff.

“Today’s establishment of the Title IX SIT will benefit women and girls across this nation who have been subjected to discrimination and indignity in their educational activities,” said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, who added that the Trump administration has prioritized protecting female athletes “From day one.”

“To all the entities that continue to allow men to compete in women’s sports and use women’s intimate facilities: there’s a new sheriff in town,” McMahon continued. “We will not allow you to get away with denying women’s civil rights any longer.” 

“Protecting women and women’s sports is a key priority for this Department of Justice,” Attorney General Pam Bondi also said in the same press release. “This collaborative effort with the Department of Education will enable our attorneys to take comprehensive action when women’s sports or spaces are threatened and use the full power of the law to remedy any violation of women’s civil rights.”

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In February, President Trump signed an executive order that puts institutions at risk of losing federal funding if they allow men to play in women’s sports.

“This executive order is such a win,” said Paula Scanlan, who competed in NCAA swimming, “and it is a win for the young girls, not just the NCAA champions, but for the middle-school athletes, for the benchwarmers, for the girls who are just breaking into the bottom of the roster.”

Not everyone has immediately complied with the executive order, however. For instance, the Department of Agriculture began investigating the University of Maine after Gov. Janet Mills disagreed with the executive order, saying she would “see” Trump “in court” over it.

The Trump administration has also frozen $175 million to the University of Pennsylvania over its policy of allowing males to participate in women’s sports. 

Campus Reform has contacted the U.S. Department of Education for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.