College athletics departments across the country are changing their diversity, equity and inclusion and transgender inclusion policies in accordance with President Donald Trump’s new executive order banning transgender women from competing in women’s sports. But American University is holding strong, at least for now.
American’s track team competed at Liberty University in their Liberty Open on Feb. 7 and 8. Eagle athletes wore transgender flag ribbons, donated by alum Row Sullivan. Sullivan made pins when they raced at Liberty in 2023, and assistant coach Zach Prescott reached out to them about getting pins for this meet, too. The team competes at Liberty because it boasts a large new indoor track facility, something many schools in the mid-Atlantic, including American, don’t have.
“It was a way for me to feel better about having to go race at a school that didn't really accept me and feel more comfortable about claiming my space in the sport during that time,” Sullivan said.
Liberty University’s student handbook prohibits “actions confirming the denial of biological birth sex (e.g., asking to be referred to by pronouns inconsistent with one’s birth sex, using restrooms and changing facilities reserved for persons other than one’s birth sex, etc.).” The Christian university’s doctrinal statement communicates the same message, saying, “Sinful acts are prohibited by God and include but are not limited to … denial of birth sex by self-identification with a different gender.”
“It allowed for members of the team to feel like they were representing in a place where that representation usually isn’t a huge thing,” Prescott said.
American’s indoor track team competed at Liberty in 2023 and wore transgender flag ribbons there, but this time the gesture came in a different context. On Feb. 5, just days before the Liberty Open, Trump issued an executive order named “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which bans athletes who were assigned male at birth from competing in women’s sports in federally funded programs.
“I think if when a team is in a position that they kind of have to compete there, it is a good step that the team is showing allyship, while having to exist in that space,” Sullivan said.
The team as a whole performed well on the track itself and remained a team on the sidelines. As Prescott organized the effort, fellow assistant coach Madison Neuner embraced it wholeheartedly, as did many athletes.
“I said, ‘I’m gonna one up you, and I’m gonna wear some of my own pride stuff and bring it with me,’” Neuner said about a conversation with Prescott.
During Neuner’s collegiate career at Northeastern University and Syracuse University, they would write their pronouns on their arm during races and sport a non-binary flag bow in their hair. Now they can be seen coaching American’s track team sporting pride socks, plus the pins.
“I wanted to be in a position where, even in a place where people may have different feelings about that than me, I made it very clear where my values lie,” Neuner said. “As a non-binary person, I always want to represent that community to the best of my ability, even in a very binary sport.”
Both American coaches heard “nothing but positive comments,” about the pins, Prescott said.
“I was hanging out with [head coach Sean Graham] by the track, and we were getting ready to watch some of our athletes compete, and somebody saw the pins that I was wearing and walked up to me and Graham and said, ‘I just want to say thank you so much for what you’re doing. I also have my pride pin. Just thank you so much for representing and showing your values,’” Neuner said.
As of March 4, 2025, the American University Athletics Department’s website still has a “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging” section where they affirm inclusion of transgender athletes. Patriot League schools such as Lafayette College have affirmed the executive order, and Boston University has removed a transgender inclusion policy from their athletics website. An archived version of the site displays a document asserting the school’s value of the inclusion of transgender athletes. Now, the site displays a 404 “Page Not Found” message.
“It is necessary in this time that we make it clear where our values are,” Neuner said.
American’s policy is less specific than BU’s old policy, but at the moment, it at least does still exist. For now, the track team will continue to race at Liberty with transgender flag ribbons, a small act to show support for transgender athletes, both on their team and off.
This article was edited by Jack Stashower, Connor Sturniolo and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks and Olivia Citarella.
