After the November 2024 election, we shared ten ways we hoped the Trump administration would bring positive changes to Massachusetts. In less than a month since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has already issued directives on many of the issues we had hoped he would. Through a series of executive orders, he has reinforced protections for women’s sports, ended federal support for chemical and surgical gender transitions for minors, and ensured that K-12 schools prioritize education over political indoctrination. Though these are all federal actions, MFI has assessed their potential effects on families in Massachusetts.
Title IX
Yesterday, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which reaffirms the original intent of Title IX by ensuring that biological males cannot compete in female athletics at the K-12, collegiate, or Olympic levels. This order directly counters Biden-era policies that had allowed transgender athletes to enter women’s competitions, eroding opportunities for female athletes. Schools and organizations that refuse to comply now face the loss of federal funding. To learn more about the impacts of Title IX changes in Massachusetts, read our updated Title IX brief.
The federal Department of Education is acting swiftly to enforce President Trump’s order and has focused its attention on Massachusetts in particular. This afternoon, the Department announced investigations into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) for violations of Title IX pursuant to this executive order. You can read more about this action here. That the Trump administration set its sights specifically on Massachusetts just exposes how egregious our state’s policies regarding girls’ sports truly are. We will be tracking this investigation closely and will inform you of any updates. Interestingly, the Department’s actions have also prompted other organizations, such as the NCAA, to preemptively change their policies.
Even as these actions are taken on the federal level, it’s important to remember that executive orders are often temporary and can change with each new administration. They are also susceptible to legal challenges. This is what makes passing the newly proposed MA girls’ sports bill, “An Act to Ensure Safety and Fairness in School Sports” so essential. Passing this bill at the state level is the first step to permanently solving the safety and fairness issues in girls’ sports here in Massachusetts. Urge your legislators to vote in favor of this bill today!
Minor Gender Transitions
On January 28, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” which bans federal funding for medical institutions that provide puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, or gender transition surgeries to minors. The order further directs the Department of Justice to investigate any medical professionals or facilities that engage in such procedures, ensuring legal accountability for what the administration has called “medical abuse.” This executive order has already prompted hospitals in New York, Colorado, Virginia, California, and Washington D.C., to pause their gender transition programs for minors.
Boston Children’s Hospital is arguably the epicenter of the pediatric “gender-affirming care” scandal. MFI uncovered that Massachusetts spent over $7.6 million of taxpayer money from 2012 to 2022 on harmful gender transition procedures for minors. We are hopeful that this new executive order will mean that Children’s and other hospitals like it in the Commonwealth will no longer provide these irreversible and life-altering interventions. We are closely watching developments on this issue and will keep you informed of any updates.
K-12 Indoctrination
We have frequently reported on the gender ideology infiltrating Massachusetts public schools, from elementary schoolers being indoctrinated in transgender ideology to schools lying to parents when their child is struggling with gender dysphoria. President Trump has taken direct action against such practices.
His “Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling” order, signed on January 29, mandates that federal funding be revoked from schools that promote gender ideology, Critical Race Theory (CRT), or any curriculum deemed discriminatory and divisive. The order also strengthens parents’ rights by ensuring full transparency in school curricula and prohibiting schools from hiding information about a child’s gender identity from their family. The order directs the Secretaries of Education and Health and Human Services, along with the Attorney General, to develop strict guidelines ensuring schools comply with the new standards.
This order could lead to numerous Massachusetts schools losing federal funding, which often constitutes up to 10% of their entire budgets, if they refuse to end the radical indoctrination of children.
We are hopeful that this administration will continue to promote biological truth, religious liberty, free speech, quality education, and the sanctity of life and reverse the destructive federal policies of the past four years that have negatively impacted families in Massachusetts and across the nation. Regardless of what happens at the federal level, MFI will continue fighting to defend fundamental freedoms and our shared values in the Commonwealth.
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