SACRAMENTO, CA (KMJ) The California Department of Education announced Monday that it will not follow a federal directive banning biological boys from participating in girls athletics.
The move sets up what could be a high-profile courtroom battle between California’s democrat power block and the Trump administration.
The California Republican Party issued a statement calling the move a “dangerous rebuke of federal civil rights law.”
Republican Congressman Kevin Kiley took to X: “This reckless and illegal decision puts our state’s federal funding at risk”.
Last month the U.S. Department of Education found the Golden State violated Title IX by allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports. The debate was recently highlighted in the national media at CIF Track & Field Championships in Clovis in which a trans athlete took home three medals against biological female competitors.
Gov. Newsom has not issued a statement on this latest twist in the trans-athlete debate. However, a few months ago Newsom irked many on the far-left by agreeing with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk that biological males participating in girls’ sports is “unfair”.
“California continues to push the dangerous insanity of letting men compete in women’s sports,” said Assembly GOP Leader James Gallagher (East Nicolaus). “This is about fairness, safety, and the rule of law.”
In June, State Superintendent Tony Thurmond issued a statement in response to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to California local educational agencies (LEAs) claiming that LEAs are exposed to “legal liability” if they comply with a California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) policy that requires students have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities that are consistent with their gender identity: “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. California state law protects all students’ access to participate in athletics in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity. We will continue to follow the law and ensure the safety of all of our athletes.”
“Newsom’s Department of Education is blatantly violating Title IX — and now they’re doubling down,” said Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez (R–Temecula). “They refuse to protect girls’ sports for biological girls. It’s a shocking civil rights violation that could cost California billions in federal education funding.”
