USMS is monitoring media reports, comments on these forums, and responding to member inquiries on the allegations regarding the eligibility of one of our members. We felt it might be helpful to provide updates in one place and this thread will serve that purpose.
Over the past week, USMS has received several formal eligibility review requests. In keeping with our published policy, the eligibility review panel was convened late last week to gather and assess the facts. Those with standing who have requested an eligibility review have been notified and will receive updates directly from the panel as appropriate. The panel will make a final determination based on the evidence presented. Speculation or commentary outside the review will not be part of the decision.
Many members have contacted us with questions and suggestions about our transgender eligibility policy. After the eligibility review is complete, USMS leadership and relevant committees will take time to reflect on member input and other details that emerge from the process to determine whether updates to the policy are appropriate and in line with USMS’s mission and values.
We ask for your patience as this process continues, and we thank you for being part of a community that values thoughtful and respectful dialogue, integrity, and the shared love of swimming. (5/9/2025)
6/3/25 Update
U.S. Masters Swimming’s Board of Directors and Rules Committee have initiated a review of USMS's transgender swimmer policy, which addresses the eligibility of transgender athletes to earn official times and other forms of recognition (places, records, and Top 10 rankings) at USMS events. USMS remains committed to ensuring members of all backgrounds feel welcome in our programs, while also recognizing the importance of fair competition in our events.
USMS will proceed thoughtfully and respectfully in evaluating the policy and will incorporate input received from members, applicable World Aquatics policies, and the various and rapidly changing state and local regulations that make creating a national policy complex.
The final policy will be communicated to members.
Furthermore, USMS is addressing two other related issues:
- USMS has received requests to confirm the eligibility of two swimmers who competed at the 2025 Spring National Championship. The established review process is underway.
- USMS has received a letter from the Texas Attorney General’s Office requesting documentation related to the 2025 Spring National Championship in San Antonio and is cooperating with the Texas Attorney General’s Office to respond accordingly.
We appreciate your patience and engagement as USMS works through these matters with care.
Sincerely,
Dawson Hughes, CEO of U.S. Masters Swimming, and Ed Coates, President of U.S. Masters Swimming
6/16/25 Update
On June 9, U.S. Masters Swimming's Board of Directors approved the adoption of an Interim Policy on Participation in the Male and Female Competition Category and Eligibility for Recognition Programs to replace the current Policy on Transgender Swimmer Inclusion. This interim policy was modeled after applicable portions of the World Aquatics Policy on the Eligibility for the Men's and Women's Competition Categories and will go into effect July 1.
The board and Rules Committee developed the interim policy while weighing the feedback of USMS members. It reflects USMS’s commitment to inclusion, fairness, and the integrity of competition, values that have defined our organization throughout its 55-year history.
You can learn more about the interim policy on our FAQs page.
What the Interim Policy Does
- Continues to allow all members to participate in the competition category that aligns with their gender identity
- Establishes updated eligibility criteria for competitive recognition programs that include event rankings, Top 10, All-American status, and records
- More closely aligns USMS with the applicable parts of the policy of World Aquatics, swimming’s international governing body that USMS a member of
Why Now?
We moved swiftly to thoughtfully develop this policy in response to our members’ concerns, as well as a recent inquiry from the Texas Attorney General’s Office. Please know that this decision was made with care, respect, and recognition of our members’ range of perspectives.
Creating a policy that balances our organizational values of inclusion and fairness of competition, the diverse range of our members’ perspectives, applicable World Aquatics policies, and various state and local regulations is challenging. We know this update will be welcomed by some and disappointing to others, but we feel this is the best decision to balance our organizational values and an evolving legal framework.
What's Next?
There are still numerous operational issues to address as we work to finalize the interim policy in the coming months. This may include adjustments to member and event registration forms, updates to procedures, and providing guidance to administrators and officials.
As USMS transitions from this interim policy to a permanent one, we’re committed to continuing to hear your feedback. Please refer to our FAQs page and email eligibility@usmastersswimming.org to share your perspective, suggestions, and any other questions you may have.
Thank you for being a member of USMS.
Sincerely,
Dawson Hughes, CEO, U.S. Masters Swimming
Ed Coates, President, U.S. Masters Swimming
7/18/25 Update
The Texas Office of the Attorney General notified U.S. Masters Swimming on May 19 that it was conducting an investigation into policies pertaining to transgender athlete participation in USMS competitions. USMS has been cooperating fully with the investigation and has been working with the Texas Office of the Attorney General to hopefully reach an agreement about the policy. USMS implemented an interim eligibility policy on July 1 in response to feedback from our members and the Attorney General's office and in line with our partnership with World Aquatics, which USMS is a member federation of.
USMS surprisingly learned yesterday via social media that the Texas Office of the Attorney General filed a lawsuit against USMS and the five LMSCs that operate in the State of Texas. USMS is currently reviewing the allegations.
To be clear, under USMS’s policy (which aligns with World Aquatics policy), trans women are not eligible to receive records, Top 10 times, or awards in the women’s category at all USMS-sanctioned events, and trans men are eligible for those competitive recognition programs in the men's category. Moreover, trans women swimming in the women’s category do not displace other women from participating or receiving recognition in any USMS event. USMS policies referenced have been publicly posted on our website since 2012 and are outlined in our annually published Code of Regulations. More information about USMS’s interim eligibility policy can be found in our FAQs.
USMS is a national nonprofit community of adult swimmers focused on health and fitness. It is deeply disappointing to see our organization and individual members publicly targeted in a lawsuit that appears to be more about generating headlines than seeking justice.
USMS will continue to cooperate fully with the Texas Office of the Attorney General and to uphold the values that have guided our community for more than 50 years.
For further updates, you can come back to this thread. Due to the ongoing nature of this lawsuit, USMS will not respond to individual questions.
Sincerely,
Dawson Hughes, CEO, U.S. Master Swimming
Ed Coates, President, U.S. Masters Swimming
8/22/25 Update
Under U.S. Masters Swimming’s Policy on Transgender Swimmer Inclusion that was in effect until July 1, 2025, swimmers in the same gender category, same age group, and having participated in the same event during the same season may request an eligibility review of another swimmer at any time before the times submission deadline for that season. Pursuant to this policy, an Eligibility Review Panel reviewed an eligibility determination request regarding another swimmer’s eligibility for official forms of recognition at USMS events.
Under the USMS Eligibility Review Procedures in place until July 1, 2025, the swimmer whose eligibility was challenged submitted documentation to the Eligibility Review Panel regarding her eligibility to participate in the female competition category and for official forms of recognition, including documentation reflecting her sex assigned at birth and her gender identity, including a birth certificate, passport, and U.S. citizenship documents. The Eligibility Review Panel also met with the swimmer and her counsel and reviewed a personal statement she submitted. The documents the swimmer submitted all demonstrate that she was assigned the female sex at birth and that she identifies as female, although she swam in the male category at USMS events 2002-2004. Even though it was not required, the swimmer voluntarily provided past and current medical documentation corroborating the information contained in the documents she submitted and corroborating her eligibility in the female category.
The Eligibility Review Panel concluded that the evidence submitted by the swimmer demonstrates that she was eligible for competition in the female category.
For clarity:
- The USMS Policy on Transgender Swimmer Inclusion and review procedures that were in effect at the time of this protest were materially different than the World Aquatics Policy on Eligibility.
- World Aquatics Policy instructs ‘Member Federations (e.g., U.S. Masters Swimming) to adopt its own sex and gender policy ... that respects the inclusion of all Aquatics athletes’ and ‘recommends that organizers of recreational (non-competitive or non-elite) Aquatics events consider their local circumstances and goals in their determination of whether or not separate sex competition is necessary for them’.
- The USMS interim eligibility policy effective July 1, 2025, only allows for recognition in the female competition category based on sex assigned at birth, but allows for participation in the female category (as defined in the policy) based on gender identity.
- USMS has recently updated its membership registration process to ensure the integrity of the interim eligibility policy.
We appreciate our members’ patience during this thorough review process as the complexities of the matter were exacerbated by the outside legal and media attention received. USMS also wants to encourage our members to treat each other with dignity, kindness, and respect as outlined in the USMS code of conduct.
This concludes the Eligibility Review Panel’s review.
