Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trans Women Must Now Compete In US Men's Olympic Competitions
The United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee quietly changed its eligibility rules on Monday to bar transgender women from competing in Olympic women鈥檚 sports, and now will comply with President Trump鈥檚 executive order on the issue, according to a post on the organization鈥檚 website. The new policy, expressed in a short, vaguely worded paragraph, is tucked under the category of 鈥淯SOPC Athlete Safety Policy鈥 on the site, and does not include details of how the ban will work. Nor does the new policy include the word 鈥渢ransgender鈥 or the title of Mr. Trump鈥檚 executive order, 鈥淜eeping Men Out of Women鈥檚 Sports,鈥 referring to it instead as 鈥淓xecutive Order 14201.鈥 (Macur, 7/22)
Attorneys general from 28 states sent a letter to the NCAA, urging the organization to wipe out records, awards, titles and any other recognitions transgender athletes received in women's sports. The letter, spearheaded by Mississippi attorney general Lynn Fitch, was sent on Tuesday, July 22, co-signed by other Republican attorneys general. Fitch said in a statement the letter urges the NCAA to "restore to female athletes the records, titles, awards, and recognitions they earned but were denied because of policies that allowed biological males to compete in female categories." (Mendoza, 7/22)
In Texas, Tennessee and other Republican-led states, legislators have passed scores of laws restricting the lives of transgender people. They have made it illegal for transgender minors to get certain medical treatments and have threatened to have their parents investigated. It made Jesse Thorn, the father of two transgender daughters, angry and sad. But he was never afraid. His family lives in California. 鈥淔or months and months and months,鈥 Mr. Thorn said, 鈥渨hen someone would say, 鈥業鈥檓 so sorry this is happening to you,鈥 I would say, 鈥楾hank you for loving my family, but it鈥檚 not happening to me. My kids are fine. Let鈥檚 see what we can do to take care of other kids.鈥欌 All of that has changed. The clinic where Mr. Thorn鈥檚 family has received treatment for years is closing. (Cowan, 7/22)