“Women’s sports will be only for women.” That was the headline moment when U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order aiming to ban transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports. Titled “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” the order grants federal agencies broad power to enforce compliance with Title IX, defining “s*x” strictly as the gender assigned at birth—impacting any organization receiving federal funding. In response, Olympian and Aptos native track and field star Nikki Hiltz took to social media, declaring their support for the trans community just before the Millrose Games. And just like that, the moment became a movement!

On 8th February, Nikki Hiltz showed up, laced up, and ran—no hesitation, no second-guessing. Born a woman, competing in women’s sports, and identifying as nonbinary, Nikki has always belonged in this space. No controversy there. The real nail-biter? In the race, Georgia Bell snatched the Wanamaker Trophy with a time of 4:23.35, barely outkicking Heather MacLean (4:23.41) and Nikki (4:23.50) in a finish so tight it probably gave the timers anxiety. But the real headline wasn’t just the race! It was also Nikki using their moment to call out Trump’s executive order on trans athletes. Because when you have the mic (or, in this case, the track), you might as well use it.

When, after the race, an interviewer asked Nikki about the emotional weight of the week following Trump’s executive order, Nikki Hiltz didn’t hold back. “Yeah, I think there’s a lot of people struggling right now. It’s hard—the news is every day something else, and like a for a lot of minority groups, and like the trans community specifically, is under attack. It s*cks—there’s no other word for it.” They spoke candidly about how much of the debate is rooted in fear, ignorance, and a lack of understanding, urging people to educate themselves. “There are fewer than 10 trans athletes in, like, out of 500,000 like it’s 1% of the population. This should not be the focus of an executive order, in my opinion.”

Despite the challenges in track and field, Nikki also shared a glimmer of hope, saying they’ve never felt more supported. “I think people are realizing, like, okay, now I have to not only be an ally, but I have to be, like, a vocal ally.” They pointed to fellow athletes like Chrissy Gear, who recently used her platform on National Girls and Women in Sports Day to stand up for trans women. “I don’t think she would have done that if the current events weren’t happening. It’s really cool to see more people speak out and say, ‘This isn’t cool.’”

For Nikki, sports (track and field) should be a space for everyone, and exclusion has no place on the track. “Sports are such a beautiful thing, and no one should be excluded from it ever.” Since the order passed, Nikki has been using their platform on Instagram to call it out, making it clear where they stand. But what exactly does this new law say?

Track and field’s stance on the ban on transgender athletes

On 5th February, Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in women’s sports. Was it so simple? Well, this means these athletes won’t be part of the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. According to the order, both the IOC and NCAA must prevent transgender women athletes from entering female competition categories. Critics? The order refers to its policy as an unsafe limitation, which forces talented competitors to watch from the sidelines when they seek their Olympic victory. Nikki Hiltz considers the restriction on transgender athletes a matter of personal experience rather than political advocacy.

However, in response to the order, Hiltz two days ago took to social media and said, “In just a couple days, I’ll be standing on the start line of a women’s race at one of the biggest indoor meets in the world and race a mile in front of a sold out crowd in New York City–and guess what?” they wrote. “I STILL won’t identify as a woman.” They didn’t stop there and further added, “You can sit at your desk and sign a piece of paper and make trans athletes lives far more difficult than necessary but you will never erase our existence or our joy.”

Hiltz is the same track and field athlete who became the first trans or nonbinary athlete to reach the 1,500m women’s Olympic final at Paris 2024. They set an American mile record in 2023 and took silver at the World Indoor Championships in 2024. But now, with this new executive order and the growing debate about transgender athletes in women’s sports, the question arises: Do transgender athletes need to be banned? What is your take on it? Comment below and let us know!