Roughly 20 States Allow Biological Males to Compete in Girls Sports

As of 2026, here’s where things stand. This is a fast-moving area — several states have changed course just in the last couple of years, and the federal picture shifted too.

The Federal Layer First

Trump’s February 2025 executive order (“Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports”) directs federal agencies to enforce Title IX against schools that let biological males compete in girls’/women’s sports.
The Department of Education has opened investigations into several states and school systems over this.
This is being litigated, so the federal enforcement picture is contested — but the direction is clear: the federal government is now actively pushing against male inclusion in female sports.

So a state “allowing” it is increasingly doing so in defiance of federal pressure, not with federal cover.

States That Still Allow It (Broadly)

These are the states where biological males can still compete in girls’/women’s sports in at least some contexts — typically because state law or state athletic association policy permits it, or because a court has blocked a ban:

State	Status
California	State law permits participation consistent with gender identity
New York	State policy/human rights law allows it
Washington	State law permits it
Oregon	Permits it
Colorado	Permits it (bans have been blocked/contested)
Connecticut	Long-standing policy allowing it
Massachusetts	State association policy allows it
Maryland	Permits it
Minnesota	Permits it
Nevada	Permits it
New Mexico	Permits it
Maine	Permits it (active fight with federal gov’t)
Vermont	Permits it
Rhode Island	Permits it
Delaware	Permits it
Hawaii	Permits it
New Jersey	Permits it
Pennsylvania	Mixed — depends on school district/association
Virginia	Mixed — depends on locality
Illinois	Permits it

Roughly 20+ states lean this direction, though the exact mechanics vary a lot:

Some have explicit state law protecting it.
Some have state athletic association policy allowing it.
Some have court injunctions blocking a ban that was passed.

The Complication

The list is messy because the legal ground keeps shifting:

Several states passed bans that are now blocked in court — so functionally they’re in the “allowing” column right now, even though the law on the books says otherwise.
Federal Title IX enforcement is creating a two-track system: a state can allow it under state law while its schools risk losing federal funds.

High School: States Allowing Biological Males in Girls’ Sports

State	Mechanism
California	State law (CIF policy follows it)
New York	State law + NYSPHSAA policy
Washington	State law (WIAA policy)
Oregon	State law (OSAA policy)
Colorado	State law (CHSAA); ban blocked
Connecticut	CIAC policy (no state ban)
Massachusetts	MIAA policy
Maryland	MPSSAA policy
Minnesota	MSHSL policy
Vermont	VPA policy
Rhode Island	RIIL policy
Delaware	DIAA policy
Hawaii	HHSAA policy
New Jersey	NJSIAA policy
Illinois	IHSA policy
Nevada	NIAA policy
New Mexico	NMAA policy
Maine	MPA policy (active federal fight)
Pennsylvania	Mixed — PIAA; depends on district
Virginia	Mixed — VHSL; depends on locality

~18–20 states land here, but note the mechanism column — most are association policy, not statute. That’s the weak link.

The Pressure Point

Here’s what matters for high school right now:

Federal Title IX enforcement targets schools, not associations. A state association can have a permissive policy while its member schools risk federal funding.
Several states that passed bans have them blocked in court — so functionally they’re in the “allowing” column, but the law could snap back.
Association policies can be changed by a board vote — no legislature required. That’s why this list is unstable.

Bottom Line

At the high school level, the reliable “allowing” states are the deep-blue ones where either state law or the athletic association explicitly permits it. But because most of these rest on association policy rather than statute, they’re more vulnerable to reversal than the headlines suggest.