BY: LESRAEL JOHNSON| JULY 1, 2025
On May 20th, 2025, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick presided over the passage of Senate Bill 27, which bans transgender athletes from joining college sports teams that align with their gender identity at public universities (Texas Legislature Online).
The law expands on the Save Women’s Sports Act from 2021, which restricted transgender students in K–12 from competing on teams not matching the sex listed on their birth certificate (Office of the Texas Governor). Now, the focus has shifted to Texas college athletics, creating tension between state law and NCAA policies, which still allow transgender athletes to compete according to their gender identity under specific conditions (NCAA.org).
The bill has sparked backlash from LGBTQ+ organizations and legal advocacy groups, who argue it’s a discriminatory measure targeting already marginalized students. Legal scholars warn it could violate Title IX, the federal law banning sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs. While Title IX doesn’t mention gender identity directly, the Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County (2020) suggests such discrimination qualifies as sex-based (Supreme Court of the United States).
The ACLU of Texas has already filed a lawsuit, calling SB27 unconstitutional and exclusionary. “This law doesn’t protect fairness, it enforces exclusion,” the group stated (ACLU Texas, May 2025).
Meanwhile, coaches and athletes are caught in a legal and moral bind. An anonymous volleyball coach told The Texas Tribune, “It feels like I have to choose between supporting my players or following the state rulebook.”
The NCAA, which relocated championship events from North Carolina in 2016 over anti-trans legislation, has so far only restated its commitment to inclusion. Whether it will act in Texas remains to be seen.
(Supporters of the ban argue that trans athletes have an unfair advantage, but the IOC notes that assumptions about athletic advantage based solely on gender identity lack scientific consensus.) (International Olympic Committee). The International Olympic Committee no longer mandates testosterone suppression for trans women athletes, instead advocating for individualized policies (IOC Framework on Fairness and Inclusion, 2021).
In Texas, the conversation isn’t just about sports; it’s about power, politics, and who gets to belong on and off the field.
So what do you think about fairness in Texas? What is the right to participate to you?
Let us know your take in the comments, and stay with What’s Your Jock Support for more news at the intersection of politics and Texas college sports.
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