Rep. Buddy Carter, Georgia Republican, on Monday urged the Trump administration to investigate transgender-athlete policies at junior colleges, warning that they may violate Title IX and President Trump’s executive order barring males in female scholastic sports.
He cited a Nov. 3 report in The Washington Times on how junior college sports authorities continue to allow students to participate in athletics based on gender identity, offering an avenue for transgender athletes barred under recent rule changes from playing on women’s teams at most four-year colleges.
“As recently reported by The Washington Times, junior colleges ‘still welcome transgender athletes’ in women’s divisions even as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) have adopted stricter policies that bar male participation in female categories,” Mr. Carter said in his letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi and Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
“These policies raise substantial concerns regarding fairness, safety, and equal athletic opportunity for women,” said the letter shared with The Times.
He asked for an “immediate DOJ and DOE review” of the transgender-athlete policies at three of the largest junior-college governing bodies: the National Junior College Athletic Association, California Community College Athletic Association, and the Northwest Athletic Conference.
“Protecting the integrity of women’s sports is a core civil rights obligation. I urge the Departments to act promptly,” said Mr. Carter, a candidate for the 2026 Republican nomination for the seat held by Sen. Jon Ossoff, Georgia Democrat.
DOCUMENT: Letter from Rep. Buddy Carter about transgender-athlete policies
The discrepancy between two-year and four-year collegiate programs drew attention with the clash at Santa Rosa Junior College over Ximena Gomez, a freshman playing on the women’s volleyball team during the fall 2025 season despite being flagged by teammates as transgender.
Three Santa Rosa volleyball players filed a Title IX complaint in September against the college and the California Community Colleges Athletic Association, known as the 3C2A, the governing body for 116 state junior colleges.
According to the complaint, Santa Rosa Athletic Director Matt Markovich disclosed at a June 23 meeting that other transgender athletes are participating in women’s sports both at the college and within the 3C2A.
A Santa Rosa spokesperson said that the college “complies with California Community College Athletic Association regulations, which govern student eligibility and participation in our athletic programs.”
The issue has also raised concerns in Georgia. Last year, the University of Georgia System Board of Regents asked the NJCAA to adopt policies “consistent with the NAIA’s student-athlete transgender participation policy.”
The National Junior College Athletic Association, which oversees more than 500 two-year programs, leaves it to the individual schools to navigate the legal landscape in their regions.
“Transgender policy: A member institution allowing a student-athlete to participate in compliance with local, state, or federal law is not a violation of NJCAA Bylaws,” said the NJCAA in its 2025-26 bylaws handbook.
Mr. Trump’s Feb. 5 executive order, Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports, prohibits educational institutions that receive federal funding from allowing male athletes in female scholastic sports.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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