KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – As the subject of transgender athletes moved back into the national spotlight following comments by South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley, the NAIA announced its new policy regarding their participation in athletics.

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Council of Presidents voted on Monday to adopt a new policy that states student-athletes may participate in NAIA competition under the following conditions:

• Participation by students in sports designated as male by the NAIA: All eligible NAIA student-athletes may participate in NAIA-sponsored male sports.
• Participation by students in sports designated as female by the NAIA: Only NAIA student-athletes whose biological sex is female may participate in NAIA-sponsored female sports.

Those female student-athletes can participate under the following conditions:

1. A student who has not begun any masculinizing hormone therapy may participate without limitation.
2. A student who has begun masculinizing hormone therapy may participate in:

• All activities that are internal to the institution (does not include external competition), including workouts, practices, and team activities. Such participation is at the discretion of the NAIA member institution where the student is enrolled; and
• External competition that is not a countable contest as defined by the NAIA. Such participation is at the discretion of the NAIA member institution where the student is enrolled.

The new transgender participation policy will apply to all sports except for cheer and dance.

The NAIA stated that an institution that has a student-athlete who has begun masculinizing hormone therapy must notify the NAIA national office.

The policy goes into effect Aug. 1, 2024.

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