WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Independent Women, a nonprofit organization committed not only to moving the needle with women, but to making a difference on the issues that will move America, applauds President Donald Trump’s Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports Executive Order that protects equal athletic opportunity for both sexes and prohibits men from participating in athletic programs that are designated for women.
Independent Women ambassadors and female athletes who have been directly impacted by the male takeover of female sports joined President Trump for the signing of this pro-woman, pro-science executive order on the 39th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day.
Independent Women, alongside Independent Women Features, its storytelling and original journalism arm, has been leading the fight to keep women’s sports female and elevate the voices of female athletes. Trump’s executive order is a win for millions of girls and women across the country who deserve privacy, safety and fairness in sports.
President Trump looks back at Payton McNabb (right corner), an Independent Women ambassador whose story IW Features recently highlighted in an exclusive documentary, “Kill Shot: How Payton McNabb Turned Tragedy into Triumph.”
Independent Women ambassadors, chapter leaders, and staff who joined President Trump for the signing of this momentous order included Riley Gaines; Sia Liilii; Lauren Miller; Payton McNabb; Paula Scanlan; Kim Russell; Kaitlynn Wheeler; Linnea Saltz; Lily Mullens; and Cady Mullens.
Riley Gaines, an ambassador for Independent Women, said: “We finally have a true champion for women in the White House! I’m proud of the work Independent Women is doing to amplify the stories of female athletes like myself who have lost out on opportunities because of males competing in our sports, and today, President Trump demonstrated that he is listening. This executive order is a massive step in protecting women and ensuring that we will never again be asked to sacrifice our privacy, our safety, and our level playing field in sports to placate the feelings of a man. Today, women have won back years of progress.”
Payton McNabb, an ambassador for Independent Women and former high school volleyball player who now suffers permanent injury as the result of a spike by a male competing on an opposing women’s volleyball team, said: “I’m so grateful to once again have a leader in the White House who fights for women’s opportunities, and above all, our safety. President Trump promised he would never allow another young woman to face the same senseless injuries I did at the hands of a male athlete, and today, he is delivering on that promise.”
Sia Liilii, an ambassador for Independent Women and captain of the University of Nevada, Reno women’s volleyball team, said: “Thank you, President Trump, for sending a powerful message to female athletes through this executive order that we are not alone in standing up for fairness and safety in sports. When my women’s volleyball team chose to forfeit our match against an opposing women’s team that rostered a male athlete, we were gaslit by university officials who tried to intimidate us into silence and told us we weren’t educated enough on the subject. Today, we are reminded that our voices matter in this fight.”
Lauren Miller, an Independent Women ambassador and current pro-golfer, said: “This executive order gives me so much hope for the future of women’s sports. Female athletes have been clear – we’ve stood up and said ‘no more’ to men stealing our opportunities and accolades. By recognizing the obvious distinctions between men and women, President Trump is prioritizing fairness and protecting opportunities for current and future generations of girls who dream of competing at the elite level, as I do now.”
Linnea Saltz, Independent Women ambassador and former NCAA track and field athlete who competed against June Eastwood, the first transgender-identifying male athlete to compete in Dl cross country, said: “Independent Women has been helping me fight for fairness in women’s sports since 2019, and I am proud to stand behind President Trump’s Executive Order to protect female athletes. This is a long-overdue victory for women, ensuring they receive the respect and opportunities they deserve. I cannot wait to see this protection become a reality.”
Paula Scanlan, an Independent Women ambassador and former University of Pennsylvania swimmer and teammate of Lia Thomas, said: “I am so excited for this Executive Order that will help protect girls and women’s sports. It shows great leadership from President Trump and will help prevent what happened to me at the University of Pennsylvania from happening to more girls.”
Independent Women Features recently shared the story of Sia Liilii, an Independent Women ambassador and captain of the University of Nevada, Reno women’s volleyball team. During the fall of 2024, the University of Nevada, Reno women’s volleyball team was scheduled to play the San José State University (SJSU) women’s volleyball team, which rosters a male athlete. Liilii and her teammates made the difficult decision to forfeit the match on October 26, 2024, over safety and fairness concerns.
In December, IW Features released another documentary, “Kill Shot: How Payton McNabb Turned Tragedy into Triumph,” highlighting Independent Women ambassador Payton McNabb, a former three-sport high school athlete who was severely injured by a transgender-identified male athlete from the opposing women’s volleyball team. The documentary includes raw footage of the kill shot to Payton’s head that has caused her to suffer traumatic, permanent damage.
IW Features’ “Tee Time: Keep Women’s Golf Female” docu-series also features stories from female golfers who have been forced to share the course with and compete against male golfers in the women’s division. Independent Women ambassadors Lauren Miller, Dana Fall, Hannah Arnold, and Amy Olson are featured in the series.
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