The Donald Trump administration is set to update its visa policies in an effort to bar transgender women from traveling to the United States to participate in women’s sports. Terming it a “matter of safety”, the US citizenship and immigration services (USCIS) said that it was an effort to ensure that only “female athletes” received visas to enter the States to participate in “women’s sports”.The statement doesn’t mention the word transgender or trans, however, it does say “male” who “change their gender identity”. “Men do not belong in women’s sports. USCIS is closing the loophole for foreign male athletes whose only chance at winning elite sports is to change their gender identity and leverage their biological advantages against women,” USCIS spokesperson Matthew Tragesser said.“It’s a matter of safety, fairness, respect, and truth that only female athletes receive a visa to come to the US to participate in women’s sports. The Trump Administration is standing up for the silent majority who’ve long been victims of leftist policies that defy common sense,” Matthew added.The updated policy impacts three visa categories designated for individuals with “extraordinary ability” in fields such as science, the arts, education, business, or athletics. It also extends to national interest waivers, which permit applicants to bypass the labor certification process for green cards if they can demonstrate that their work benefits the national interest.The statement for the policy update clarified that the “USCIS considers the fact that a male athlete has been competing against women as a negative factor in determining whether the alien is among the small percentage at the very top of the field.”“USCIS does not consider a male athlete who has gained acclaim in men’s sports and seeks to compete in women’s sports in the United States to be seeking to continue work in his area of extraordinary ability; male athletes seeking to enter the country to compete in women’s sports do not substantially benefit the United States; and it is not in the national interest to the United States to waive the job offer and, thus, the labor certification requirement for male athletes whose proposed endeavor is to compete in women’s sports,” it added.This comes shortly after the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee banned trans women from competing in female sports. Only a few trans athletes have competed in past Olympics, including Laurel Hubbard, Alana Smith, and Quinn – the first nonbinary and trans athlete to win a medal.
