The governor of Indiana, Mike Braun, signed an executive order on Tuesday to prohibit transgender athletes in women’s university sports. He was joined by the former volleyball player of the San José State University, Elle Patterson, who states that he lost a scholarship for a trans athlete.
Braun said his order guarantees equity in women’s sports in a press release.
“Women’s sports create opportunities for young women to win scholarships and develop leadership skills,” Braun said. “Hoosiers overwhelmingly does not want these opportunities to destroy by allowing biological men to compete in women’s sports, and today’s executive order will ensure that.”
The order establishes: “This executive order requires that Indiana state educational institutions must comply with the rule of title IX 2020 instead of the reinterpretation of the Biden 2024 administration that extended protections based on a new self -informed and always changing idea of ’gender identity’.
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“The order guarantees that female athletes in university sports are not forced to compete against biological men, preserving the integrity of female athletics and protecting opportunities for women in sports leagues only for women.”
Braun then signed another executive order that “rejects the extreme gender ideology in favor of the scientific reality of biological sex” by reinforcing the legal definitions of Indiana for “sex”, “gender”, “women”, “male”, “citizen”, “individual” and “person.”
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“Today’s executive order will end any confusion about our State’s policy on this issue so that we can focus on my goal of ensuring freedom and opportunities for all Hoosiers,” Braun said after signing the second order.
Braun honored Patterson during the firm. Patterson joined a lawsuit against SJSU and the Mountain West conference in November with 10 other conference players and a former assistant coach about his management of transgender player Blaire Fleming.
Patterson alleges that the university did not comply with the previous verbal offers of a scholarship for the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Patterson says that he even paid the full registration to play in 2023 after they told him that he would get a scholarship by 2024. However, the program also did not comply with that offer, alleges, while Fleming received a complete scholarship.
The Spartans players of the State of San José look before a match against the Falcons of the Air Force in Falcon Court in East Gym on October 19, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colo. (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
“Ultimately, Patterson informed the associated chief coach Batie-Smoose and chief coach Todd Kress who could not pay financially for the registration, room and board of SJSU again in 2024 and, therefore, could not return to the SJSU team without a scholarship,” the documents say.
“However, Todd Kress remained firm in his position that Patterson would not receive a scholarship to play on the SJSU team in 2024, and that Fleming would receive a complete scholarship to play on the SJSU team.”
Senator Mike Braun speaks during a forum for candidates for governor of Indiana Republican in Carmel, Ind., January 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, Archive)
Braun expressed his sympathy for Patterson during his speech on Tuesday.
“It’s wrong, and leaders must defend young women like Elle,” Braun said. “We need to protect your physical safety and the great opportunities that come with that athletic excellence.”
The order occurs only one day after the United States Senate could not approve the protection of women and girls in the sports act. Despite obtaining 51 votes from the Republican majority, the Democrats filibon the bill with 45 votes against him.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to prohibit transgender athletes in women’s sports on February 5. However, some states led by the Democrats have so far refused to comply with the order.
Braun has taken measures to ensure that this does not happen in his state, joining the Idaho Brad Little governor, who signed a similar executive order in August.
