WIAA Headquarters in Stevens Point. MWC photo by Mike Leischner
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) – The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association has released details in their new policy on student-athletes who identify as transgender after announcing last week that they would comply with President Trump’s recent executive order.
According to a press release from the WIAA, the organization will comply with the president’s order to not allow biological men to compete in women’s sports. However, the organization will continue to allow biological men to “practice in a WIAA Girl’s Sport with their Gender Identity and receive all other benefits applicable to student-athletes who are otherwise eligible for practice.”
WIAA Participation Policy for Transgender Student-Athletes
The release makes no mention of any limitations on the benefits available to students who are “eligible to practice,” implying that biological men and women receiving testosterone therapy will continue to be able to use girls’ locker rooms and other female team facilities. The policy also does not specify how long a student would need to be transitioning or taking hormones before practicing or entering the locker rooms, and it will apply to all WIAA girls’ sports programs, including cross country, swimming, volleyball, hockey, basketball, wrestling, soccer, and softball.
Only the state of Maine has yet to comply with President Trump’s executive order, following the national attention given to Greely High School’s Katie Spencer, a biological male student who identifies as a female, who won the women’s state pole vaulting title at last week’s championship competition. Spencer, who last competed as a man against other male athletes two years ago, placed tied for fifth in the boy’s championship in 2023.
The president addressed Spencer’s state title during a speech at the Republican Governors Association last Thursday, stating that his administration would cut Maine’s federal funding if they refused to change course and comply with federal law.
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