The US Department of Justice is pressuring California’s public high school sports authority to abandon a policy allowing transgender girls to compete on women’s teams, following a transgender athlete’s first-place wins at the state track and field championships.
In a letter to the California Interscholastic Federation, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said the policy violates the constitution’s Equal Protection Clause by “depriving girls of athletic opportunities and benefits based solely on their biological sex.”
The letter, signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, gave the organization until June 9 to confirm in writing that it will no longer enforce the rule.
The move comes after 16-year-old transgender student-athlete AB Hernandez won gold in both the girls’ high jump and triple jump at the state championships over the weekend.
In a post on social media ahead of the competition, President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funds from the state over the issue. “California continues to ILLEGALLY allow “MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS,’” Trump wrote. Democrats in the state largely supported Hernandez along with a community of athletes, including fellow track and field medalists.
California currently allows students to participate in sports that align with their gender identity. Last week, CIF issued a new rule enabling any “biological female student-athlete” who narrowly missed qualifying for the state meet to compete, a decision that led to Hernandez sharing her podium at the tournament.
Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, has previously said he thinks the participation of transgender athletes in girls’ sports is “deeply unfair.” His office described the CIF’s revised approach as a “reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness.”
With assistance from Janet Lorin.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
