WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s administration sued the California Division of Schooling on Wednesday for permitting transgender women to compete on women sports activities groups, alleging the coverage violates federal legislation.
The transfer escalates an ongoing battle between the Republican administration in Washington and Democratic-led California over trans athletes competing in women and girls’s sports activities.
The lawsuit filed by the Justice Division says California’s transgender athlete insurance policies violate Title IX, the federal legislation that bans discrimination in schooling primarily based on intercourse. The division says California’s guidelines “are not only illegal and unfair but also demeaning, signaling to girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to accommodating boys.”
“These discriminatory policies and practices ignore undeniable biological differences between boys and girls, in favor of an amorphous ‘gender identity,’” the lawsuit says. “The results of these illegal policies are stark: girls are displaced from podiums, denied awards, and miss out on critical visibility for college scholarships and recognition.”
California has a greater than decade-old legislation on the books that enables college students to take part in sex-segregated faculty packages, together with on sports activities groups, and use loos and different services that align with their gender id.
Trump criticized the participation of a transgender highschool student-athlete who received titles within the California track-and-field championships final month. Assistant Legal professional Basic Harmeet Dhillon wrote in a letter after the meet that the sports activities physique operating the ultimate violated the Equal Safety Clause of the Structure by permitting trans women to compete in opposition to different feminine athletes.
The federal Schooling Division earlier this 12 months launched an investigation into California’s insurance policies permitting athletes to compete on sports activities groups according to their gender id. The company stated final month that the insurance policies violate Title IX, and it gave the state 10 days to agree to alter them. However the state this week refused.
Trump additionally sparred with Maine’s Democratic governor over the state’s transgender-athlete insurance policies. Gov. Janet Mills informed the president in February, “We’ll see you in court,” over his threats to tug funding to the state over the difficulty. His administration filed a lawsuit in April alleging Maine violated Title IX by permitting trans women and girls to compete in opposition to different feminine athletes.
The problem is a part of a nationwide battle over the rights of transgender youth through which states have restricted transgender women from taking part on women sports activities groups, barred gender-affirming surgical procedures for minors and required dad and mom to be notified if a baby modifications their pronouns at college. Greater than two dozen states have legal guidelines barring transgender girls and women from taking part in sure sports activities competitions. Among the insurance policies have been blocked in court docket.
Trump signed an government order in February aimed toward barring trans women and girls from taking part on sports activities groups according to their gender id.
Proponents of a ban, together with the conservative California Household Council, say it will restore equity in athletic competitions. However opponents, together with the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality California, say bans are an assault on transgender youth.
Initially Printed: July 9, 2025 at 7:32 AM PDT
