Petition aims to bar transgender athletes from girls sports in California
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
Trump Threatens to Cut Federal Funds to California Over Trans Athletes
President Donald Trump threatened to cut federal funding to California if the state continues to allow transgender athletes to compete in women’s sports. Trump referred to a recent event where a transgender athlete won in the girls’ triple jump and long jump competitions at the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Masters Meet.
According to USA Today, Trump warned that federal funding could be withheld if his executive order, which aims to bar transgender student athletes from participating in women’s sports, is not enforced. He also instructed local authorities to prevent the athlete from competing in the upcoming state finals.
The California Interscholastic Federation responded by expanding participation in the state track and field championship to include any biological female student athlete who would have qualified if the transgender athlete had not competed. Newsom’s communications director, Izzy Gardon, praised this decision as a “reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue.”
California is one of 22 states that allow transgender athletes to compete in sports consistent with their gender identity.
Threatening to withhold funding for California, Trump cites case of transgender athlete at IE school
President Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding in California if the state did not bar trans students from participating in girls sports. He cited the case of AB Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School who competes in girls track and field. The California Interscholastic Federation is changing its rules to allow more girls to take part in the state championships. Trump said he would speak with Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday to “find out which way he wants to go” to get the funding back. The finals are scheduled to be held Friday and Saturday at Buchanan High School in Fresno County. The CIF did not specify whether the change applies to all events or only events where a trans athlete has qualified for the final. The change only applies to this weekend’s competition, the CIF said.
President Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding in California if the state did not bar trans students from participating in girls sports.
President Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding in California if the state did not bar trans students from participating in girls sports.
President Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding in California if the state did not bar trans students from participating in girls sports.
President Donald Trump threatened to pull federal funding in California if the state did not bar trans students from participating in girls sports.
JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) — In a social media post on Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding for California because the state, he said, under Gov. Gavin Newsom, “continues to ILLEGALLY allow ‘MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS.'”
In a statement released on Trump’s Truth Social media site, the president cited the case of AB Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School who competes in girls track and field.
Three other Southern California schools — JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, Orange Lutheran High School in Orange, and Irvine’s Crean Lutheran High School — have banded together against the California Interscholastic Federation’s policy allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls sports.
The CIF is the governing board for California high school sports.
Hernandez won titles in the triple and long jump this month during the CIF Southern Section high school track and field postseason. Trump said Hernandez’s participation “IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS.”
The governing body of California high school sports is changing its rules after President Trump threatened to withhold federal funding over transgender athletes.
He said “large scale” federal funding to California will be held up, possibly permanently, if the state doesn’t comply with an executive order he signed in February to bar such athletes from female sports.
Trump noted Newsom’s own statement earlier this year that allowing transgender women and girls to compete in female sports is “deeply unfair.” Trump said he would speak with Newsom on Tuesday to “find out which way he wants to go.”
ABC7 reached out to AB Hernandez’s mother, who declined a request for an interview.
California law, enacted before Newsom became governor, requires schools to allow transgender athletes to play on school sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
In Trump’s social media post Tuesday, he said: “In the meantime I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!”
Later on Tuesday, the CIF announced it is changing its competition rules at this weekend’s state track and field championships to allow more girls to take part amid the controversy.
The CIF said it was extending access for more cisgender athletes to participate in the championship meet.
“Under this pilot entry process, any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section’s automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet, and did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet, was extended an opportunity to participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships,” the group said in a statement. “The CIF believes this pilot entry process achieves the participation opportunities we seek to afford our student-athletes.”
The federation didn’t specify whether the change applies to all events or only events where a trans athlete has qualified for the final. The change only applies to this weekend’s competition.
The finals are scheduled to be held Friday and Saturday at Buchanan High School in Fresno County.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
West Shore plans to vote next month on policy that would restrict transgender kids in sports
West Shore School District’s board plans to vote in May on a new policy that would require transgender students to play sports as the gender listed on their birth certificate. Conservative board members say they are trying to ensure a fair athletic playing
The policy — discussed further at Thursday’s board meeting — is in many ways an attempt to hit a moving target, with conservative board members saying they are trying to ensure a fair athletic playing field and meet the Trump administration’s re-interpretation of Title IX rules, while opponents warn that the policy is likely a violation of anti-discrimination and equal rights laws
“This is a very difficult area, and the state of the law is very much in flux,” said board member Abigail Tierney.
Trump wants to cut funding for California schools over one trans athlete. It’s not so easy
President Donald Trump is threatening to withhold funding from California over transgender student athletes. Trump lacks the authority to change the state’s policy toward transgender athletes without an act of Congress or a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. California state law explicitly allows transgender students in its K-12 school districts to compete on the team that matches their preferred gender. But the Trump administration has issued multiple directives that restrict access to girls’ sports, including a letter last week from the Department of Justice telling high schools to change their policies. California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the Justice Department over its letter, saying it had “no right to make such a demand.” On Monday, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond sent his own letter to theTrump administration, refuting its legal argument. In February, Trump asked Maine Gov. Janet Mills if her state was going to comply with a presidential executive order — which is not a law — that directed schools to bar transgender girls from certain sports.
California’s schools and colleges receive billions in federal funding each year — money that President Donald Trump is threatening to terminate over the actions of one student. AB Hernandez, a junior from Jurupa Valley High School, is transgender, and on May 31 she won first- and second-place medals at the state track and field championship.
“A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so,” Trump said in a social media post last week. “As Governor Gavin Newscum (sic) fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!”
Despite this post and a similar threat a few days earlier to withhold “large-scale” federal funding from California, Trump lacks the authority to change the state’s policy toward transgender athletes without an act of Congress or a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. And recent court cases suggest that Trump also may have a hard time withholding money from California.
California state law explicitly allows transgender students in its K-12 school districts to compete on the team that matches their preferred gender, but the Trump administration has issued multiple directives that restrict access to girls’ sports, including a letter last week from the U.S. Department of Justice telling high schools to change their policies.
On Monday, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the Justice Department over its letter, saying it had “no right to make such a demand.”
“Let’s be clear: sending a letter does not change the law,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond in a statement to school districts. “The DOJ’s letter to school districts does not announce any new federal law, and state law on this issue has remained unchanged since 2013.” On Monday, Thurmond sent his own letter to the Trump administration, refuting its legal argument.
California receives over $2 billion each year for its low-income Title I schools, as well as over $1 billion for special education. At the college level, students receive billions in federal financial aid and federal loans. Even if Trump lacks the legal authority to change state law, he could still try to withhold funding from California, just like he tried with Maine. In February, Trump asked Maine Gov. Janet Mills if her state was going to comply with a presidential executive order — which is not a law — that directed schools to bar transgender girls from certain sports. Mills said she’d comply with “state and federal laws,” effectively rebuking the president.
The Trump administration has since tried to withhold funding from Maine, but legal challenges have prevented it.
The NCAA vs. California state law
Trump made banning transgender youth athletes a centerpiece of his 2024 presidential campaign, and it’s remained a focal point for his administration this year. Nationally, Americans increasingly support restrictions on transgender athletes, according to surveys from the Pew Research Center. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last year signed legislation supporting trans students, spoke out against transgender athletes in a podcast this March, saying it was “deeply unfair” to allow transgender girls to compete in girls’ sports.
Female athletes with higher levels of testosterone or with masculine characteristics have long faced scrutiny, biological testing and disqualification. Debates about who gets to participate in girls’ or women’s sports predate the Trump administration — and Newsom — and policies vary depending on the athletic institution.
In 2004, the International Olympic Committee officially allowed transgender athletes to compete in the sport that aligned with their gender identity, as long as the athlete had sex reassignment surgery, only to change that policy in 2015 and require hormone testing. In 2021, the committee changed the policy again, creating more inclusive guidelines but giving local athletic federations the power to create their own eligibility criteria.
Across California, youth leagues, private sports leagues and other independent athletic associations all have their own policies. Some allow transgender women and men to participate; some restrict who can compete. Some require “confirmation” of a participant’s gender, such as a government ID or statements from health care professionals, while other associations take the athletes at their word.
California’s colleges and universities are not allowed to discriminate against transgender students but state law doesn’t provide any guidance beyond that. After the presidential executive order in February, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), which independently regulates college sports, changed its rules, prohibiting transgender women from competing and putting colleges in a bind. Roughly 60 California universities are part of the NCAA, including almost all of the UC and many Cal State campuses. Community colleges, which represent the bulk of the state’s undergraduates, are not part of the NCAA.
“There’s a strong argument (the NCAA rules) could violate state law and federal equal protection,” said Elana Redfield, the federal policy director at UCLA’s Williams Institute, which studies LGBTQ+ issues.
Amy Bentley-Smith, a spokesperson for the California State University system, declined to comment about how the NCAA policy conflicts with state and federal regulations. She said the Cal State campuses abide by the NCAA rules — preventing transgender athletes from competing — while still following state and federal non-discrimination laws regarding trans students.
Stett Holbrook, a spokesperson for the University of California system, said the UC does not have a system-wide policy for transgender athletes. He did not respond to questions about whether the campuses abide by NCAA rules.
Unlike the NCAA, the California Community College Athletic Association allows transgender athletes to compete. A spokesperson for the association, Mike Robles, said he’s aware of the NCAA rules and the Trump administration’s priorities but he did not say whether the association will modify its own policy.
The U.S. Constitution is silent on trans students
In February, just days after the president’s inauguration and the executive order regarding transgender athletes, the U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation into San Jose State after a women’s volleyball player outed her teammate as transgender. The education department has yet to provide an update on that investigation.
With the Trump administration’s focus now on CA K-12 school districts, the legal debate has intensified. In its letter to the state’s public schools last week, Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said allowing transgender girls to compete in girls’ sports is “in violation” of the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution and asked schools to change their policies.
But the U.S. Constitution doesn’t say anything about transgender athletes, at least not explicitly.
Instead, Dhillon is offering an interpretation of the Constitution, “which doesn’t carry the full force of law,” Redfield said. The laws that do govern transgender athletes, such Title IX, aren’t clear about what schools should do, and the U.S. Supreme Court — the entity with the power to interpret federal law and the Constitution — has yet to decide on the matter.
That said, many lower level judges have already weighed in on whether the Constitution or Title IX law protects transgender students or athletes.“The preponderance of cases are in favor of trans plaintiffs,” Redfield said. “The federal government is contradicting some pretty strong important precedent when they’re making these statements.”
After Trump’s comments about AB Hernandez, the nonprofit entity that regulates high school sports, the California Interscholastic Federation, changed its policy, slightly. For the state’s track and field championship, the federation said it would implement a new process, whereby AB Hernandez would share her award with any “biological female” that she beat. All “biological female” athletes below Hernandez would also move up in ranking.
On May 31, Hernandez shared the first-place podium twice and the second-place podium once, each time with her competitors smiling supportively, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
A spokesperson for the governor, Izzy Gardon, said that approach is a “reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness.”
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Trump Admin takes aim at California’s transgender athlete policy in schools
Transgender-related locker room complaint puts Lake County middle school in national spotlight
Nicole Georgas, the parent of a girl at Shepard Middle School, appeared on “America Reports” She accused school staff of forcing her daughter and other students to change their clothes with the transgender student. Georgas demanded locker rooms and bathrooms be designated as biological male and biological female. The school district said its policies and procedures, including student use of locker rooms, are in line with state laws and guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education. The group Moms for Liberty Lake County called for parents to “stand up for locker room safety,” and echoed Georgas’ allegation that the students had been, “forced to change for PE with a biological male.’ “We all care about student safety, but real safety means ensuring every student can go to school without fear, not singling out kids just because of who they are,’’ the group said in a statement. “This isn’t just about a locker room policy, it’s part of a national effort to roll back LGBTQ rights.”
Nicole Georgas, the parent of a girl at Shepard Middle School, appeared on “America Reports” last week and spoke during the Deerfield Public Schools 109 board meeting on March 13, accusing school staff of forcing her daughter and other students to change their clothes with the transgender student.
Georgas said her complaint to the DOJ had been forwarded to the Department of Education. Attempts to reach the appropriate DOJ spokesman were unsuccessful.
Georgas demanded locker rooms and bathrooms be designated as biological male and biological female, arguing there is “already a gender-neutral option.”
“The girls want their locker rooms and bathrooms back,” she said. “They want their privacy back.”
Georgas said the district is in violation of federal policy, pointing to recent executive orders signed by President Donald Trump banning transgender athletes from women’s and girls’ sports. Allowing transgender people into female bathrooms “erodes” female privacy and safety, she said, and her daughter’s “wellbeing, privacy and mental health” are at stake.
In a statement, the school district said students are not required to change into gym clothes in front of others in locker rooms, and have “multiple options to change in a private location if they wish.”
The district said its policies and procedures, including student use of locker rooms, are in line with state laws, the Illinois School Code and guidance from the Illinois State Board of Education.
“District 109 is committed to providing a learning environment where all students and staff are respected and supported,” the statement said.
Numerous speakers at Friday’s meeting gave public comments supporting the school board and the unidentified student.
Kristal Larson, executive director of the LGBTQ+ Center Lake County, clerk for Avon Township and a transgender woman herself, said there are an estimated 2,000 transgender or gender nonconforming students across Lake County, and another 10,000, “who identify under the queer umbrella.”
She warned about the struggles such students face at school, sharing her own experiences struggling with changing rooms growing up, an issue that would continue for years into adulthood.
“I intentionally stayed away from changing spaces because of my fear of being in male-dominated spaces,” Larson said. “I avoided it at all costs.”
Larson emphasized the need for supporting the students and making them “feel just as right and safe as other students.”
Another speaker at the meeting was David Weisberger, who said he’s had two children go through the school district. He criticized what he described as “fearmongering” against trans students.
“Instead of acknowledging her for who she is, they’re framing her identity in a way designed to provoke outrage and fear,” Weisberger said. “We all care about student safety, but real safety means ensuring every student can go to school without fear, not singling out kids just because of who they are”
Weisberger was also critical of Moms for Liberty Lake County, a local branch of the national conservative political advocacy group, which had called for parents to attend and give comments during the meeting.
In Facebook posts, the group called for residents to “stand up for locker room safety,” and echoed Georgas’ allegation that the students had been, “forced to change for PE with a biological male.”
Weisberger accused the group of dividing the community and “turning children into political targets.”
“This isn’t just about a locker room policy, it’s part of a national effort to roll back LGBTQ rights and push a political agenda,” he said.
On the national level, executive orders from the Trump administration seek to strip transgender, nonbinary and intersex people of the ability to change their gender markers on passports or to serve in the military. They aim to force transgender women in federal prisons to be housed with men, and to bar them from participation in female sports.
The orders also attempt to end gender-affirming care for transgender people younger than 19, and prohibit federal spending on the promotion of “gender ideology,” a vague directive that could have implications for anything from schools to rape crisis centers.
“Across the country, ideologues who deny the biological reality of sex have increasingly used legal and other socially coercive means to permit men to self-identify as women and gain access to intimate single-sex spaces and activities designed for women, from women’s domestic abuse shelters to women’s workplace showers,” Trump wrote in an executive order titled, “Defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government,” issued on Jan. 20 following his inauguration.
Chicago Tribune’s Jonathan Bullington contributed.