This week, California education officials formally rejected a federal demand that transgender athletes be excluded from women’s and girls’ sports. The Trump administration warned that this decision would have consequences.
Almost two weeks ago, the administration announced that the California Department of Education had allowed transgender girls to play on female sports teams, in violation of federal law. It threatened to take enforcement action if the state didn’t change its regulations by Monday.
Following a trans girl’s qualification for the California state track and field competition at the end of May, President Trump and other federal officials increased their pressure on California. If the state did not prevent the trans athlete from participating in the event’s girls competition, the president at the time threatened to stop providing federal funding to the state.
Meeting officials compromised by giving medals to girls based on where they would have placed had the trans girl not competed, even though the athlete was permitted to compete and placed first in the high jump and triple jump.
In a letter obtained by The New York Times, California Department of Education General Counsel Len Garfinkel informed the Trump administration on Monday that the state respectfully disagrees that it had violated girls’ rights under Title IX, which forbids sex discrimination, and that it would not comply with the administration’s requests.
According to a screenshot shared on X by U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon, the California Interscholastic Federation, a voluntary organization that regulates high school athletics in the state, likewise refused to alter its rules.
Ms. McMahon indicated that enforcement proceedings would be taken against California and that Attorney General Pam Bondi would speak to the state next.
A 2013 law has permitted transgender student athletes to play on teams that reflect their gender identity for over ten years in California. Similar policies are in place in over 20 states nationally. Last month, California authorities said they had no plans to change their policy and that a legislative change would have been necessary to comply with the Trump administration’s demand.
The office of Governor Gavin Newsom projected that fewer than 10 trans students participate in athletics out of 5.8 million K–12 students in California public schools.
However, remarks made by Mr. Newsom on his podcast in March have been exploited by President Trump and other Republicans this year. The Democrat governor claimed that it was extremely unfair for transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports.
Citing Mr. Newsom’s own remarks, the president called on California to exclude the transgender athlete from the state track and field competition. In a Monday post on X, Ms. McMahon followed suit.
She wrote that it turns out that Governor Newsom’s admission that it’s a fairness issue was just political bluster.
