Florida AG could sue swimming nonprofit over transgender rules

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Tuesday said U.S. Masters Swimming, a Florida-based nonprofit also known as USMS, must stop allowing men to compete in women’s sports or face legal action. The organization must also bar men from women’s locker rooms, Uthmeier said. If USMS failed to quickly certify such changes in writing, Uthmeier would sue the organization on behalf of Florida, he said at a press conference.

The organization adopted an interim policy on swimmers who identify as transgender early this month. The policy says athletes can compete in whatever category matches their so-called gender identity, but will only receive awards and rankings if competing under their birth sex. However, the policy contains some exceptions and doesn’t apply to all competitions. Uthmeier said on Tuesday that the change doesn’t go far enough to satisfy Florida law.

Previously, USMS allowed athletes who identified as the opposite sex to swim in their preferred gender competition category, though it required men competing in women’s sports to have lower testosterone levels. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an investigation into the organization in May based on reports that a male swimmer won five women’s events at the 2025 U.S. Masters Spring Nationals in San Antonio.

USMS didn’t appear to have publicly responded to Uthmeier by Tuesday afternoon. WORLD requested a statement from the organization and had not received a response by the time of publication.

What is U.S. Masters Swimming? The organization offers membership-based swimming for adults, including clubs and both national and international competitions, according to its website. USMS is also affiliated with an annual international LGBTQ aquatic competition, held last month in the Washington, D.C. area.

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