Transgender US track star Sadie Schreiner has spoken out against President Donald Trump’s executive order banning trans women from competing in female sports categories, describing the policy as devastating and unfair.
The 21-year-old, a two-time NCAA All-American in sprint events, shared her frustration and disappointment, stating that Trump’s order, titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”, has effectively ended her ability to compete in collegiate athletics.
A Ban Despite the Science
Trump’s executive order, which was enacted immediately, primarily impacts high school, university, and grassroots sports. Supporters argue that it promotes fairness, but scientific studies have found that transgender women who follow existing hormone therapy regulations have no inherent advantage over cisgender women in elite-level competition.
Schreiner, who began her transition in high school, has been on hormone therapy that significantly alters her physiology.
“(The hormone therapy) shrank my ligaments. It’s made me shorter. It’s made me weaker. It’s lessened my muscles. It’s redistributing my fat. It’s lowered my lung capacity,” she explained to CNN.
“My biology is fundamentally different than a cis man.”
Despite these physiological changes, Trump’s policy has disqualified her from competing in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) events.
Left With Nowhere to Run
Following her exclusion from NCAA competitions, Schreiner attempted to continue her athletic career through USA Track & Field (USATF) events. However, she described the experience as “brutal”, recalling races where she ran alone because there were no other competitors in her category.
Shortly after, USATF adopted stricter policies aligned with World Athletics’ trans participation rules, further restricting her ability to compete.
“They silently changed their policy,” she said. “It means there’s likely no more meets in the United States that I could run.”
A Heartbreaking Reality for Her Family
Schreiner’s father, Greg Schreiner, expressed his deep sadness over the barriers his daughter now faces in the sport she loves.
“It’s sad, you know, you want to be excited about and celebrate your kids,” he shared. “I love to watch Sadie run, and thinking that this is potentially her last race in this country, you become melancholy.”
With no competitions left for her in the U.S., Schreiner’s future in track and field remains uncertain.
