Title IX (20 U.S.C. §1681) is a federal civil‑rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in any education program or activity that receives federal financial assistance. In athletics it requires schools and colleges to provide equal opportunity to participate, comparable treatment (coaching, facilities, equipment, travel), and equitable scholarship and roster opportunities; the Department of Education (Office for Civil Rights) enforces Title IX and can investigate and seek corrective action including withdrawal of federal funds.
Key Executive Orders (2025) cited by the White House message: (1) “Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth…” (Jan 20, 2025) — defines “sex” as biological, directs agencies to use sex (not gender identity) in policy and bars federal funding that “promotes gender ideology.” (2) “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” (Feb 5, 2025) — directs the Secretary of Education and Attorney General to enforce Title IX, review/rescind grants to programs allowing male participation in women’s sports, and convene athletic bodies and State AGs. (3) “Saving College Sports” (Jul 24, 2025) — directs colleges above revenue thresholds to preserve/expand women’s and non‑revenue scholarships, restricts third‑party pay‑for‑play, and tasks ED/DOJ/HHS/FTC to develop enforcement and preservation plans.
Primary enforcement responsibility lies with the U.S. Department of Education (the Secretary of Education and the Office for Civil Rights) for Title IX and grant reviews; the Department of Justice is directed to provide enforcement resources and coordination; the EOs also direct “all executive departments and agencies” to review grants and, where appropriate, rescind federal funding—while other agencies named in the orders (HHS, FTC, Labor/NLRB, etc.) have specific supporting roles.
For programs that receive federal funds (most public K–12 schools and colleges), the EOs push agencies to require sex‑based categories and to prioritize enforcement against institutions that allow male participation in women’s sports — which in practice would likely lead many federally funded schools and colleges to restrict participation by transgender women (individuals assigned male at birth) from female categories to avoid funding risks. Private/non‑federally funded youth leagues are not directly covered by Title IX, though states and sports bodies may act; actual outcomes depend on agency rules and litigation.
In the administration’s usage (defined explicitly in the Jan. 20, 2025 EO), “rejecting biological reality” means treating gender identity as the basis for access to single‑sex spaces instead of an individual’s biological sex. The EO defines “sex” as an immutable biological classification, and defines “men/man” and “boys/boy” as adult and juvenile human males (and “male” as the sex that produces the small reproductive cell).
The "Saving College Sports" EO directs many colleges to preserve or expand scholarships and roster spots for women’s and non‑revenue sports (with specific revenue‑based targets) and prohibits certain third‑party pay‑for‑play arrangements; combined with the Title IX enforcement direction in the "Keeping Men Out" and "Defending Women" orders, federal action could (a) require institutions to protect or increase women’s scholarships/roster spots, (b) push eligibility rules toward sex‑based definitions, and (c) make grant or federal funding conditional on compliance. Implementation depends on ED/DOJ actions, agency rule‑making, appropriations, and possible litigation.