The California Department of Education is defying the Trump administration’s directive to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in accordance with their gender identity, a move that escalates the ongoing clash between state and federal authorities.
Despite a federal civil rights investigation and an ultimatum to comply with a proposed resolution to bar trans athletes within 10 days, California officials formally dismissed the Office for Civil Rights’ conclusions, prompting threats of “imminent enforcement action” for non-compliance.
The big picture: Education Secretary Linda McMahon criticized California’s defiance on social media, accusing Governor Gavin Newsom of empty political grandstanding for stating concerns regarding fairness in sports competitions involving transgender and cisgender girls.
- The investigation by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights into the California Interscholastic Federation expanded to involve the California Department of Education and local school districts over transgender athlete inclusion, leading to the call for a change in practices under Title IX.
- The proposed resolution agreement required California to notify federal funding recipients to adhere to the Trump administration’s interpretation of Title IX, emphasizing the exclusion of males in female sports and the adoption of biology-based definitions, a demand that both the California Department of Education and the CIF rejected.
