The Charlotte Royals, a rugby club based in North Carolina, has disbanded its women's teams entirely, opting instead to compete exclusively in a newly created 'open' gender category.
The move came after USA Rugby revised its regulations to restrict women's competitions to biological females only.
Rather than comply with the updated policy, the Royals chose last week to transfer all their squads to the open division, which welcomes athletes regardless of their sex assigned at birth or gender identity.
The club, which has long championed the inclusion of transgender and non-binary players, will now participate solely in open division fixtures for all sanctioned matches going forward.
TRENDING
Stories
Videos
Your Say
The Royals issued a joint statement alongside another club, the Mother Ruckers, expressing their stance on the matter and calling on fellow organisations to embrace the open category.
"The Charlotte Royals believe that trans women are women," the statement declared.
"Banning trans players hurts everyone in the sport and the larger community.
"We will be using the Open Division for any sanctioned matches we engage in, and encourage other clubs/unions to do the same."
The clubs also invoked the legacy of the Stonewall uprising, citing figures such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera as pioneers of the American LGBTQIA+ liberation movement.
"We will continue to include our trans siblings in our organisation and community, without hesitation," the statement added.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
The Charlotte Royals, a rugby club based in North Carolina, has disbanded its women's teams entirely, opting instead to compete exclusively in a newly created 'open' gender category
|USA Rugby unveiled its restructured competition framework on Friday, establishing three distinct categories: Men's Division, Women's Division, and Open Division.
"The Open Division will permit any athlete, regardless of gender assigned at birth and gender identity, to compete in USA Rugby-sanctioned events, whether full contact or non-contact," the governing body stated.
The policy shift arrives nearly 12 months after Donald Trump signed an executive order mandating that only biological females may participate in women's sporting competitions.
The timing of USA Rugby's announcement is notable, coming as the United States prepares to host the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, placing American sports governance under heightened international scrutiny.
The governing body's decision to introduce an open category has provoked considerable anger on social media platforms.
One critic dismissed the move as "total BS", whilst another user wrote: "There are only two genders. So dumb."
The Charlotte Royals have a history of supporting LGBTQIA+ rugby, having served as the host club for the 2021 International Gay Rugby North American Championship.
The North Carolina outfit has built its reputation around welcoming transgender and non-binary athletes into its ranks.
By abandoning women's competition entirely in favour of the open division, the club has made clear its intention to prioritise inclusivity over participation in sex-segregated categories.