A Facebook post by former President Joe Biden on International Women's Day has ignited a firestorm of criticism over his past endorsement of transgender athletes competing in women's sports.
During his presidency, Biden was a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, issuing several executive orders to protect and enhance their rights. On his first day in office in January 2021, he signed an executive order aimed at combating and preventing discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation.
Fox News reported that this policy laid down the groundwork for future legislative and educational directives concerning transgender individuals, particularly in sports. Critics argue that these policies blur the lines of gender identity in competitive sports.
March 2023 saw the Democrats pushing for a Transgender Bill of Rights, advocating for the right of transgender individuals to participate in sports according to their gender identity.
This proposal faced significant resistance and sparked a nationwide conversation about fairness and equality in sports.
In April 2023, Biden's Department of Education took a strong stance by proposing sanctions against schools that barred transgender athletes from competing in female sports. This was part of a broader effort to enforce non-discrimination based on gender identity.
By April 2024, Biden had further solidified his support for transgender athletes with a significant amendment to Title IX, where protections against 'sex' discrimination were explicitly extended to include gender identity.
This rewrite was intended to ensure transgender athletes could compete in sports aligning with their gender identity without discrimination.
However, this intention met an obstacle in August when the Supreme Court declined an urgent appeal from Biden to enforce his Title IX policy rewrite in states that opposed it, leading to a complex patchwork of laws across the country.
The controversy over Biden’s policies was mentioned as a significant issue in national exit polls following the November 2024 elections.
An overwhelming 70% of moderate voters expressed concern about transgender sports issues, which many analysts believe contributed heavily to the Democratic losses across the presidential, Senate, and House elections.
Critics from various sectors voiced their dismay. U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill notably posted a screenshot showing significant Democratic opposition to legislation aimed at preserving the traditional eligibilities in women's sports.
Sportswear brand XX-XY Athletics accused Biden of "eroding" women's rights, emphasizing the perceived negative effects on women's sports due to the policy.
The backlash reached a fever pitch when Biden took to social media to celebrate International Women's Day. Critics flooded his post, challenging his support of women's rights in light of his transgender athlete policies.
One critic accused him of "humiliating our women by putting men in women’s sports" and questioned Biden's understanding of women's success.
Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders described it as "heartbreaking" that some remain "unwilling" to protect the integrity of women's sports.
President Trump, contrastingly, signed an executive order on February 5, 2025, explicitly banning trans athletes from competing in women’s and girls' sports, amplifying the divide.
Despite Trump’s executive order, many Democrat-led states have continued to support the inclusion of transgender athletes in women's sports. A New York Times/Ipsos survey highlighted that 79% of Americans oppose transgender athletes competing in women’s sports, indicating a broad national consensus.