Trump Administration Sues California For Refusing To Ban Trans Athletes
California’s state law prohibits public schools from banning trans athletes from girl’s sports teams.
On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced it will sue the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) over state policies that allow transgender athletes to compete in girls’ school sports. The lawsuit follows California’s refusal earlier this week to comply with the Trump administration’s demand to ban transgender athletes from school sports.
Related: California Refuses Trump Admin’s Demand To Bar Trans Girls From School Sports
California’s state law, “The Sex Equity in Education Act,” prohibits California public schools from banning transgender students who want to participate on school teams that align with their gender identity. California is one of 21 states without explicit bans on allowing transgender students in girls’ school sports. In an attempt to force California to abide by Trump’s demands, the lawsuit alleges that the state law violates Title IX.
“Despite Title IX’s equal opportunity mandate, Defendants have adopted and implemented policies that force girls to compete against boys—despite the real physiological differences between sexes—if the boy asserts that he is a girl,” the federal lawsuit reads, according to CNN. It continues, “and despite Title IX’s mandate, Defendants have adopted and implemented policies that allow boys to invade sensitive female-only spaces, endangering girls’ privacy, dignity, and safety and causing a hostile educational environment that denies girls educational opportunities.”
The conflict has the potential to impact vast amounts of federal funding. Trump has repeatedly threatened to pull federal funding from California over multiple points of contention—including state initiatives to promote racial diversity and efforts to protect undocumented immigrants from immigration enforcement.
Related: UPenn Bans Trans Athletes And Erases Their Records In Deal With Trump Admin
The Justice Department filed a similar lawsuit against Maine in April, after the state’s democratic governor, Janet Mills, clashed with Trump and refused to comply with his trans athlete ban.
The lawsuit highlights the pervasive national debate over transgender rights and the role of the Trump administration in coercing state policy. As the lawsuit unfolds, it is likely to have significant implications for school athletics, the rights of transgender students, and how Title IX will be interpreted going forward.
