Trump administration accuses California of violating Title IX by allowing transgender athletes on women's teams
"The Trump Administration and the Department of Education have prioritized protecting female athletes from unfair competition, unsafe situations, and the indignities that come with female athletic competition for male athletes," explained the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) which conducted two investigations into the issue.
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The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) reported that the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which governs high school sports in the state, were found "in clear violation" of Title IX following two separate investigations.
The office detailed that the investigations stemmed from allegations of discrimination against women and girls on the basis of sex in women's sports.
"The Trump Administration and the Department of Education have prioritized protecting female athletes from the unfair competition, unsafe situations, and the indignities involved when male athletes compete in athletic competitions designated for girls," the office wrote in a statement.
In that regard, the office recalled that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 requires schools to ensure equal opportunity for girls, including in athletic activities. However, the office believes that California has actively impeded this equal opportunity by allowing male participation in female sports and intimate spaces.
Threats of legal action
Similarly, the Office for Civil Rights noted that, after detecting non-compliance, it submitted a proposed Settlement Agreement to the CDE and CIF in order to remedy the Title IX violations.
"Although Governor Gavin Newsom admitted months ago it was ‘deeply unfair’ to allow men to compete in women’s sports, both the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation continued as recently as a few weeks ago to allow men to steal female athletes’ well-deserved accolades and to subject them to the indignity of unfair and unsafe competitions," stated Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.
"The Trump Administration will relentlessly enforce Title IX protections for women and girls, and our findings today make clear that California has failed to adhere to its obligations under federal law. The state must swiftly come into compliance with Title IX or face the consequences that follow," McMahon added.
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