CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) – The Virginia High School League commented on its decision to no longer allow transgender women to play for female sports teams at public schools.

The league says the change is effective immediately and is in compliance with President Trump’s Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports executive order, signed on February 5.

Transgender women in Virginia public schools were previously allowed to appeal to play on a girls’ team; in the past four years, the league granted approval to 27 transgender women to play. That appeals process is no longer available.

Any transgender women currently competing on female teams will no longer be able to play for that team, also effective immediately.

Billy Haun, Executive Director of the League, says they spoke with multiple school divisions and athletic directors before their Executive Committee voted to change the rule.

“Any time there’s something new, there’s always an unknown piece, and when it moves this quickly, you hope you get it right and try to make sure there’s no unintended consequences that go along with it,” said Haun. “That’s why we wanted to take our time.”

Haun says specific repercussions for any violations of the new rule will likely be left to the discretion of individual school divisions. He says they are expecting to release their official policy sometime within the next couple days.

This decision also comes after Governor Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares publicly pushed for a bill in the Virginia General Assembly that would ban transgender women from playing on female school sports teams in Virginia.

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