Page updated Dec. 29, 2025: Added section on HHS declaration on gender-affirming care
Universities receiving federal funds must comply with civil rights laws that provide that no person shall, on the grounds of sex, race, color, or national origin, including shared ancestry, be excluded from participation in, or denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under programs and activities that the university sponsors or promotes (Title VI and Title IX). The University’s requirement to comply with these laws is consistent with its wholehearted and longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Those values are essential to serving our community and achieving the University’s mission and they remain a priority.
Executive orders
On. Jan. 20, 2025, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order declaring that the federal government only recognizes two sexes – male and female – and directing all federal executive branch agencies to “enforce all sex-protective laws to promote this reality” in the application of federal law and administration policy.
This was followed by a Jan. 28, 2025 executive order directing federal agencies to take actions to bar certain gender-affirming care for individuals under age 19. Various federal agencies have taken actions to come into alignment with the executive order, such as definitions issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. A temporary restraining order issued Feb. 14 blocked implementation of the executive order in Washington, Oregon and Minnesota, and its effects were extended Feb. 28 when a federal judge in Seattle issued a preliminary injunction and added Colorado to the states where that injunction is in effect. That case is ongoing. A federal judge in Baltimore also blocked implementation of the Jan. 28 executive order nationwide via a preliminary injunction issued March 4. That injunction is being appealed.
HHS declaration on gender-affirming care
On Dec. 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced proposed regulatory actions that would bar or limit gender-affirming care including “pharmaceutical or surgical interventions” for individuals under age 19. On Dec. 24, 2025, a coalition of 20 states, including Washington, filed a lawsuit seeking to block those actions.
Transgender athletes in women’s sports
A Feb. 5, 2025, executive order changing Title IX interpretation to bar transgender athletes from competing on girls’ and women’s K-12 and college sports teams was followed on Feb. 6, 2025, by a change in NCAA policy to align with that order.