Megan Rapinoe slams ‘depraved’ Donald Trump over order banning trans athletes from women’s sports
Megan Rapinoe doesn’t buy the reasoning behind Donald Trump’s executive order effectively banning trans athletes from women’s sports at public institutions.
Speaking with soccer publication, MUNDIAL, the former Team USA captain specifically took issue with the President’s claim he’s protecting female athletes from trans rivals.
‘Don’t tell me it’s about the rights of women’s sports,’ the 39-year-old former Ballon d’Or Féminin winner said. ‘That is totally disingenuous to say that.’
Since his inauguration in January, Trump has signed executive orders requiring the federal government to recognize only two genders and another titled: ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.’
In the latter order, the Trump administration vowed to rescind funding to any institution that permits trans athletes to participate in female sports. Since then, the NCAA has amended its policy and now limits women’s sports to student-athletes assigned female at birth.
But while Trump’s order claims to ‘protect opportunities for women and girls to compete in safe and fair sports,’ Rapinoe insists there’s a more sinister purpose at play.
Rapinoe isn’t buying the reasoning behind Trump’s executive order on trans athletes
The president recently announced an order titled: ‘Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports’
‘I think it’s just really cruel,’ she said. ‘You know, if you strip it all back, it’s just kind of cruel and depraved. This isn’t an issue and you aren’t going to be able to Executive Order trans people out of existence.
‘We’ve just gone through a very long period over ten years of really needing to fight just to get to a baseline of, like, equal rights and non-discriminatory behavior, and when people stop just s***ting on women’s sports. I think we are sort of at that moment.’
Rapinoe has always been critical of Trump but sharpened her focus on the President in 2022 when his hand-picked Supreme Court justices overturned Roe v. Wade, thereby pushing the debate over reproductive rights to the states.
And while the World Cup champion admits she is not ‘personally scared’ about Trump’s second term, she admitted in a post-election interview in November that she’s fearful for marginalized populations.
‘I am nervous, but I also am hopeful. I believe in people and I certainly believe in women and I believe that people want better than the grim, dark, just violent reality that Donald Trump has very clearly laid out for us,’ she said.
Former soccer player Megan Rapinoe (left) and former basketball player Sue Bird (right) are not only partners, but podcasts co-hosts on their weekly program titled ‘A Touch More’
Swimmer Lia Thomas and volleyball player Blaire Fleming been the focus of controversy
The controversial NWSL legend and partner to retired WNBA superstar Sue Bird has also been a strong supporter of trans rights, both on and off the field.
She was among 40 pro athletes to sign a letter in 2023 opposing a bill aimed at excluding trans athletes from women’s sports under Title IX – part of the 1970s civil rights act that bars discrimination based on sex.
While NCAA officials estimated fewer than 10 transgender athletes playing women’s sports at partner schools, the organization has instituted an effective ban moving forward. This comes after athletes such as Penn swimmer Lia Thomas, who identifies as trans, and San Jose State volleyball player Blaire Fleming, who is reportedly trans, found themselves at the center of national controversy in recent years.
