THE DALLES — Oregon Minority Leader Sen. Daniel Bonham (R-The Dalles) attended the signing of President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” on Feb. 5 in Washington, D.C.
The order prohibits transgender women from competing in women’s sports.
“For too long, female athletes have been forced to compete on an uneven playing field. Today’s executive order restores fairness and upholds the fundamental principle of equal opportunity in women’s sports,” Bonham said in a press release. “Oregon girls deserve the chance to compete, break records, and win championships without biological males taking their opportunities away.”
National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) President Charlie Baker also released a statement, saying, “We strongly believe that clear, consistent, and uniform eligibility standards would best serve today’s student-athletes instead of a patchwork of conflicting state laws and court decisions. To that end, President Trump’s order provides a clear, national standard.”
According to Baker, fewer than 10 transgender athletes currently participate at the college level out of 510,000. As of Feb. 6, NCAA had updated its policy on transgender athletes, which now reads, “Regardless of sex assigned at birth or gender identity, a student-athlete may participate (practice and compete) with a men’s team, assuming they meet all other NCAA requirements.”
For women’s teams, policy states a student assigned male at birth may not compete, though they may practice “and receive all other benefits applicable to student-athletes who are otherwise eligible for practice” (www.ncaa.org).
Senate Bill 618 focuses on Oregon school districts
Bonham has additionally introduced Senate Bill 618, “to ensure that Oregon protects fairness in women’s sports.” The bill “requires school districts to designate athletic competitions and extracurricular sports based on biological sex. This legislation will compel OSAA [Oregon School Activities Association]to reverse its unfair ‘gender identity participation’ rule and restore competitive fairness in girls’ athletics,” he said (read the bill at legiscan.com/OR/bill/SB618/2025, or visit columbiagorgenews.com for a link).
OSAA released a statement on the new executive order, which reads, “The OSAA has been in contact with the Oregon Department of Education regarding the executive order and its impact for schools in our state. We will work to review the executive order with our legal counsel and its potential effect on current Oregon nondiscrimination law and association policy. The OSAA will continue to act under the direction of the association’s members and in compliance with applicable law to support meaningful and enriching participation opportunities for tens of thousands of Oregon students.”
OSAA does not keep track of transgender athletes. Its policy is to allow students “to participate for the athletic or activity program of their consistently asserted gender identity while providing a fair and safe environment for all students” (www.osaa.org).
This is consistent with Oregon law. The Oregon Equality Act was passed in 2007, and prohibits discrimination based on gender identity and/or expression and sexual orientation in public education. “Discrimination in education is prohibited for any protected class, which includes race, disability, sexual orientation, gender expression, or gender identity. This is true regardless of whether the discrimination was intended or unintended” (www.oregon.gov/ode).
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