Schools Implement Ban on Biological Male Athletes Competing in Female Sports Teams – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
1:32 PM – Wednesday, April 2, 2025
The Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association (NIAA) voted on Tuesday to adopt a gender eligibility policy that limits participation of transgender-identifying male athletes in female sports. This regulation dictates that only individuals designated female at birth can compete on female sports teams statewide.
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Nevada’s Lieutenant Governor (R-Nev.) Stavros Anthony praised this decision in a recent statement.
“I commend the NIAA for taking this important and courageous step,” stated Lieutenant Governor Stavros Anthony. “Today’s vote communicates a clear message: Nevada is committed to valuing and protecting opportunities for female athletes. Girls deserve a fair playing field, and this action will help ensure they can compete, grow, and thrive without sacrificing safety or fairness.”
This new policy marks a shift from the former stance, which permitted transgender athletes identifying as female to compete in girls’ and women’s sports.
In 2022, the state’s Constitution was amended after Democratic lawmakers voted to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment, which included gender identity within the categories protected under state law.
This law sparked national debate following a conflict between the University of Nevada, Reno, and its women’s volleyball team. The players privately approached university officials, expressing a desire to forfeit a match against San Jose State University, due to the presence of a biological male on San Jose’s volleyball roster.
Meanwhile, left-wing opponents of the shift argue that the prior pro-trans policy was both uplifting and inclusive for the LGBTQ+ community, even as biological female athletes faced heightened risks of injury and potential loss of wins and essential scholarships to biological males.
However, the university declined to honor the team’s request and issued a statement asserting the match would proceed. Ultimately, the team forfeited the day before the game was due to a lack of players willing to participate.
The university also revealed that it had discussed with the athletes the potential “legal issues” that might arise if the match did not take place.
“University administrators met with the Nevada volleyball team to evaluate the consequences of choosing not to play. One scenario discussed included potential legal ramifications for failing to comply with the Nevada Constitution,” a statement provided exclusively to Fox News Digital by the University of Nevada, Reno, read.
At a grassroots level, a 13-year-old Nevada middle school girl, Ava Chavez, recently shared her experiences competing against trans athletes in a letter delivered to state lawmakers last week.
“When the ball is on the other side of the net, they have a chance to swing, and we have a chance to block. This can be dangerous for us because if the blockers can’t successfully defend against the boy’s hit, I could be seriously injured. This frightens me because boys are naturally larger, faster, stronger, and possess a higher vertical jump,” a copy of the letter obtained by Fox News Digital stated.
Nevada now joins 26 other U.S. states that prohibit trans athletes from competing in female sports. It additionally aligns with President Donald Trump’s executive order addressing this issue.
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