NAIA Transgender Task Force

Background

The NAIA Transgender Task Force was formed at the request of the NAIA’s Council of Presidents in April 2022. Up until January 2022, the NAIA’s policy had mirrored that of the NCAA, which permitted transgender athletes to participate on teams that corresponded with their affirmed gender, so long as they first underwent a year of androgen suppression. That January, the NCAA changed its policy to treat each sport differently based on the policy of the applicable Olympic national governing body (NGB). For sports with no applicable NGB policy, the NCAA is planning to turn to the policy of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee or the international federation for that sport.

The NAIA’s task force was charged with determining whether the NAIA’s existing transgender policy needed to be altered and is so, bringing forward a new policy recommendation for the COP’s consideration. After two years of work, the task force proposed a new transgender policy which was approved by the COP on April 8, 2024. The new policy will be effective August 1, 2024.
 

NAIA Transgender Participation Policy