U.S. Executive Order on Women’s Sports Applauded by UN Special Rapporteur

“This executive order sends a clear message that the rights of women and girls to female-only spaces, including in sports, matter,” Alsalem emphasized.

UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, Reem Alsalem, has welcomed the United States Government's newly issued executive order, "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sport." Signed on February 5, the order is being hailed as a decisive move to ensure fairness, safety, and dignity for female athletes.

"This decision reaffirms the importance of maintaining sex-based categories in sports, thereby safeguarding equal opportunities for women and girls," Alsalem stated.

The executive order comes in response to a recent ruling by a U.S. federal court, which deemed previous regulations under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 unlawful, vacating them nationwide. The order mandates that female athletic opportunities and locker rooms be preserved exclusively for women and girls, ensuring privacy, dignity, and safety.

A key provision of the executive order includes holding educational institutions accountable for policies that compel female students to compete against or share private spaces with biological males. Non-compliance with these standards could lead to the withdrawal of federal funding from institutions that do not uphold fair and equal athletic opportunities for women and girls.

"This executive order sends a clear message that the rights of women and girls to female-only spaces, including in sports, matter," Alsalem emphasized.

In her statement, the UN Special Rapporteur urged the U.S. Government to ensure that alternative sports categories are established so that all individuals can compete in an environment that upholds dignity and fairness. She proposed the creation of open sports categories or the conversion of the male category into an open one, to accommodate athletes who do not wish to participate in their biological sex category.

Alsalem also welcomed the U.S. Government's commitment to working with major athletic organizations to establish policies that enhance fairness and safety in women's sports. She praised efforts to advocate for international rules at the United Nations that protect sex-based female sports categories.

In October 2024, Alsalem presented a report to the UN General Assembly titled "Violence Against Women and Girls in Sports," highlighting the systemic challenges faced by female athletes and the need to ensure their right to participate in sports under conditions of safety, dignity, and fairness. The report urged states, international organizations, and sporting bodies to take proactive steps in protecting the female sports category.

"I welcome the emphasis on promoting international rules and norms to protect women and girl athletes at all levels, including at the United Nations, and look forward to cooperating with all states on this critical human rights issue," Alsalem concluded.