Megan Rapinoe, others urge NCAA to not ban trans athletes from women's sports

Former NCAA athletes Paula Scanlan and Adriana McLamb share their message ahead of the meeting, urging the organization to adopt the transgender ban.

Former U.S. women’s soccer star Megan Rapinoe and WNBA legend Sue Bird were among the current and former athletes who signed Athlete Ally’s letter to the NCAA urging the organization to forgo enacting a policy that would bar trans athletes from competing in women’s sports.

The letter from the LGBTQ advocacy group came after more than a dozen House Republican lawmakers urged NCAA president Charlie Baker to ban transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports, following a policy set by the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics earlier this month. The lawmakers cited Lia Thomas’ national championship in 2022, which marked Thomas as the first trans woman to win an NCAA national title.

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Megan Rapinoe, left, and Sue Bird attend Michael Rubin's Fanatics Super Bowl party at the Marquee Nightclub at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas on Feb. 10, 2024 in Las Vegas. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

"We, the undersigned, call upon the NCAA, a governing body meant to serve athletes and our wellbeing, to ensure that the lifesaving power of sport is accessible to all athletes who compete in championship and emerging sports at and for NCAA-member institutions – including transgender athletes," the letter read. "To deny transgender athletes the fundamental right to be who they are, to access the sport they love, and to receive the proven mental and physical health benefits of sport goes against the very principles of the NCAA’s Constitution.

"By barring transgender athletes, you would be severely limiting the capacity of your