Trump Administration Cracks Down on California Over Transgender Athletes in Girls' Sports
In a bold move, the Trump administration has determined that the California Department of Education and the state’s high school sports federation breached civil rights law by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls' sports teams.
The U.S. Department of Education unveiled its findings on Wednesday, proposing a sweeping resolution: California must prohibit transgender women from participating in women’s sports and revoke any titles, records, or awards earned by transgender athletes. This announcement is the latest push in the Republican-led effort to ban transgender athletes from competing in female sports categories across the nation.
If California refuses to adopt the proposed measures, the state risks losing federal education funding.
“The Trump administration is fully committed to enforcing Title IX protections for women and girls,” said Education Secretary Linda McMahon. “Our findings show that California has blatantly ignored its federal legal obligations. The state must act quickly or suffer the consequences.”
Title IX, a landmark 1972 law, prohibits sex-based discrimination in any federally funded education program.
As of Wednesday, California education and sports officials had not issued any public response.
The controversy began in February, when the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) stated it would follow state law, which permits students to join sports teams based on their gender identity. This stance came after Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at blocking transgender participation in girls' and women’s sports.
By April, McMahon’s department had launched a separate investigation into the California Department of Education. Both inquiries concluded that California’s policies violate Title IX.
The administration is actively leveraging Title IX to challenge what it views as unfair competition in women’s sports, launching dozens of investigations targeting schools, colleges, and state governments. This marks a dramatic shift from the Biden administration, which had tried to expand Title IX to include transgender protections—a move blocked by a federal judge before Trump returned to office in January.
The administration's proposed resolution lays out strict requirements:
All California schools must be informed that transgender athletes are barred from girls' athletic teams.
Institutions must adopt biological definitions of “male” and “female.”
Any state law interpretations that clash with this mandate would be flagged as Title IX violations.
Furthermore, athletes who previously lost titles, awards, or records to transgender competitors would have their achievements reinstated. The state would also need to send personal apology letters to those affected.
A similar resolution had been offered to Maine, which rejected it in April—prompting the Justice Department to sue the state and threaten to cut off federal education funds.
Now, California faces the same deadline: ten days to comply or prepare for federal enforcement action.
Meanwhile, in May, the CIF tested a pilot policy during a state track meet, allowing one additional competitor in three events featuring AB Hernandez, a transgender high school junior. The CIF introduced the policy shortly after Trump criticized Hernandez’s participation on social media. In response, the Justice Department said it would open an investigation into both Hernandez’s school district and the state to assess possible Title IX violations.
Discription:
"The Trump administration has ordered California to ban transgender girls from participating in girls' sports, citing violations of Title IX. Learn how this decision could impact federal funding, school policies, and the future of transgender athletes in high school sports."