The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that the California Department of Education and the California Interschool Federation allow transgender students to participate in school sports based on gender identity, violating the civil rights of female students.
After the investigation, the U.S. Department of Education called on California to “voluntarily agree” to change what it determines is “illegal practice”, or to take “imminent law enforcement actions” within 10 days or risk.
“Although Gov. Gavin Newsom admitted a few months ago that allowing men to participate in women’s sports was ‘deeply unchanged’, the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation lasted several weeks ago to allow men to steal the honors that women athletes deserve and expose them to indignation from unfair and unfree competition,” he said.
“The Trump administration will ruthlessly enforce IX title protections against women and girls, and our findings today clearly show that California has failed to comply with its obligations under federal law. The state must quickly comply with Title IX or face subsequent consequences.”
California officials did not comment immediately.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Civil Rights Office conducted a survey of the California Interschool Federation in February, which oversees more than 1,500 high school sports after the sports group said it would continue its policy that allows transgender students to identify according to their gender.
California’s Education Code states that “students should be allowed to participate in gender-separated school curriculum and activities, including sports teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on the student’s record.”
In May, the U.S. Department of Justice began investigating whether the Interschool Athletic Federation and the Julupa Unified School District violated the civil rights of female students by allowing transgender students to compete in school sports.
President Trump has put trans athletes in the women’s sports, a key issue in his 2024 election, and he also threatened to cut federal funding last month if the state continues to allow trans athletes to compete.
Regarding Newsom’s truth society, Trump complained that the country “continues to illegally allow men to participate in women’s sports.”
“I’ll talk to him today and find out how he wants to leave??” Trump talked about the news. “At the same time, I ordered local authorities and, if necessary, would not allow transitional people to participate in the state finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!”
The Justice Department continues to increase pressure on schools, warning districts in early June that they would face legal trouble if they don’t ban such athletes from playing.
However, the next day was California. Tony Thurmond’s public instructions sent a letter saying the federal warning had no legal weight. He said the district still has an obligation to comply with state laws that allow trans youth to compete.
