Latest news with #CaliforniaInterscholasticFederation
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Trump administration sues California over transgender athletes
A spokesperson for California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state is following a 2013 law and that no court has accepted the legal theory cited by the Trump administration in the suit. In May, President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funds to the state if it did not comply with an executive order he signed Feb. 5. The California Interscholastic Federation sought to strike a compromise at the state high school track and field championships by enacting a rule change that allowed athletes assigned female at birth to receive medals based on where they would have finished if a transgender athlete had not competed. That resulted in the awarding of two titles in the girls' high jump and long jump -- events in which transgender athlete AB Hernandez finished first. The Trump administration filed a similar lawsuit in May against the state of Maine, alleging similar Title IX violations. More than half the states have passed laws preventing transgender athletes from competing on female school sports teams, saying they are trying to prevent competitive advantages. However, the laws don't take into account someone's athletic ability or how far they are in transitioning to another gender. Last week, the University of Pennsylvania agreed to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women's sports and strip the record of former swimmer Lia Thomas as part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Supreme Court has announced it will weigh in on the issue. The court plans to review Idaho's and West Virginia's bans on transgender athletes joining female sports teams this fall, with a ruling likely coming next year.
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Business Standard
4 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Trump administration sues California over transgender athlete policies
The move escalates a battle between the Republican administration in Washington and Democratic-led California over trans athletes AP Sacramento (US) President Donald Trump's administration sued the California Department of Education on Wednesday for allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams, alleging the policy violates federal law. The move escalates a battle between the Republican administration in Washington and Democratic-led California over trans athletes. The lawsuit filed by the Justice Department says California's transgender athlete policies violate Title IX, the federal law that bans discrimination in education based on sex. The department says California's rules are not only illegal and unfair but also demeaning, signalling to girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to accommodating boys. US Attorney General Pam Bondi warned other states that allow trans girls to compete in female athletics that they could also face challenges by the federal government. If you do not comply, you're next, she said in a video posted on social media. We will protect girls in girls sports. The state Education Department and the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports that was also named a defendant, said they would not comment on pending litigation. California has a more than decade-old law on the books that allows students to participate in sex-segregated school programs, including on sports teams, and use bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity. Trump criticised the participation of a transgender high school student-athlete who won titles in the California track-and-field championships last month. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote in a letter after the meet that the California Interscholastic Federation violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution by allowing trans girls to compete against other female athletes. The federal Education Department earlier this year launched an investigation into California's policies allowing athletes to compete on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. The agency said last month that the policies violate Title IX, and it gave the state 10 days to agree to change them. But the state this week refused. Trump also sparred with Maine's Democratic governor over that state's transgender-athlete policies. Gov. Janet Mills told the president in February, We'll see you in court, over his threats to pull funding to the state over the issue. His administration filed a lawsuit in April alleging Maine violated Title IX by allowing trans girls and women to compete against other female athletes. The Justice Department's lawsuit against California says its policies ignore undeniable biological differences between boys and girls, in favour of an amorphous 'gender identity.' 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, the suit says. Meanwhile, on his podcast in March, California Democratic Gov Gavin Newsom angered some party allies when he questioned the fairness of trans girls competing in girls sports. GOP critics have called on the governor to back a ban, saying his remarks do not square with his actions. The issue is part of a nationwide battle over the rights of transgender youth in which states have limited transgender girls from participating on girls sports teams, barred gender-affirming surgeries for minors and required parents to be notified if a child changes their pronouns at school. More than two dozen states have laws barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain sports competitions. Some of the policies have been blocked in court. Trump signed an executive order in February aimed at barring trans girls and women from participating on sports teams consistent with their gender identity. Proponents of a ban, including the conservative California Family Council, say it would restore fairness in athletic competitions. But opponents, including the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Equality California, say bans are an attack on transgender youth. In Oregon, three high school track-and-field athletes filed a federal lawsuit against the state this week seeking to remove records set by transgender students and prevent them from participating in girls sports. They say allowing trans girls to compete against other female athletes is unfair and violates Title IX. The US Education Department launched investigations earlier this year into Portland Public Schools and the state's governing body for high school sports to over alleged violations of Title IX in girls high school sports.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
US Justice Dept sues California over transgender athlete policies
THE US Justice Department has launched a legal challenge against California, accusing the state of violating federal law by permitting transgender athletes to compete in girls' sports. The lawsuit claims female student athletes face 'unfair competition and reckless endangerment by male participation on female high-school sports teams.' The case centers on alleged violations of Title IX, a federal law prohibiting sex discrimination in education programs receiving government funding. This marks the latest clash between the Trump administration and California, a Democratic stronghold. Attorney General Pam Bondi stated, 'The Governor of California has previously admitted that it is 'deeply unfair' to force women and girls to compete with men and boys in competitive sports. But not only is it 'deeply unfair,' it is also illegal under federal law.' The lawsuit targets the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation, accusing them of enabling 'illegal sex discrimination against female student athletes.' This follows a similar case in Maine, where the Justice Department sued over transgender athlete inclusion earlier this year. The legal battle escalates as the Supreme Court prepares to review cases involving state bans on transgender athletes in Idaho and West Virginia. Over 25 states have enacted laws restricting transgender participation in girls' and women's sports. - AFP
UPI
4 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
DOJ sues California over Title IX on transgender student athletes
Participants enjoy San Francisco's Pride Parade this past month. The civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against California's Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees the Golden State's high school sports. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI | License Photo July 9 (UPI) -- The Trump administration sued California on Wednesday over alleged Title IX violations on transgender athletes after state officials refused to comply with a federal order banning trans student athletes in women's sports. It is something that Trump officials say is "unfair" and a "reckless endangerment." The U.S. Department of Justice's civil rights division sued the state's Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which oversees the Golden State's high school sports. The suit claims California exhibited a pattern of "illegal sex discrimination against female student athletes." "Title IX was enacted over half a century ago to protect women and girls from discrimination," said Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon. DOJ filed its 24-page suit in part to enforce the 1972 federal Title IX regulation that prohibits discrimination based on sex in any educational program or activity that gets federal money. Fewer than 10 out of more than 5 million of California's K-12 students were considered to be transgender and participating in school athletics, according to the governor's office. Dhillion said Trump's DOJ will not tolerate policies that, the president believes, "deprive girls of their hard-earned athletic trophies and ignore their safety on the field and in private spaces," adding in opinion that including trans students in turn means biological female student-athletes "sacrifice their rights to compete for scholarships, opportunities and awards on the altar of woke gender ideology." California ignored President Donald Trump's skillfully worded executive order in February that dictated U.S. policy oppose "male competitive participation in women's sports." It added that permitting transgender student athletes in female sports was, allegedly, now in violation of the Title X protection of equal opportunity in athletics. Len Garfinkel, general counsel for California's Department of Education, notified the White House on Monday it "respectfully disagrees" the state violated the rights of girls under Title IX, but it would ignore Trump's directive, according to The New York Times. California granted trans student athletes the right to participate in sports aligning with their gender identity after a 2013 law signed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown, a four-term Democrat, legally clarified the issue. According to federal officials, the state department of education sits over CIF and governs California's interscholastic athletic policies. The California Interscholastic Federation manages 1.8 million students and its over 750,000 students in athletics in grades nine through 12. DOJ officials cited Wednesday's filed complaint that referenced how California's current allocation of federal funds directed to the state's education department this fiscal year alone rounded out to over $44 billion. They added more than $3 billion of that sits "available" for state officials earmarked for discretionary or other spending. In a statement, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi pointed to past comments by Gov. Gavin Newsom, in which the rumored presidential candidate admitted on a right-wing podcast its "deeply unfair" to conceptualize teammates of competing biological characteristics. Bondi countered it's not only "deeply unfair," but offered her personal belief that it's "also illegal under federal law," adding the department "will continue its fight to protect equal opportunities for women and girls in sports." On Wednesday, Sacramento said California's Department of Education and its CIF is already in compliance with existing laws. "NO COURT HAS ADOPTED THE INTERPRETATION OF TITLE IX ADVANCED BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND NEITHER the Governor, nor THEY, get to wave a magic wand and override it -- unlike Donald Trump, California follows the law," Elana Ross, a spokesperson for Newson, told The Hill.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump administration files lawsuit against California over transgender athletes
The U.S. Justice Department has filed a civil lawsuit against the California Department of Education, alleging that the state is violating anti-discrimination laws by allowing transgender athletes to compete in school sports. The complaint, filed July 9 in federal court in Los Angeles, alleges that California's current policies "eviscerate equal athletic opportunities for girls" by forcing them to "compete against boys" in state athletic events. A spokesperson for California Governor Gavin Newsom said the state is following a 2013 law and that no court has accepted the legal theory cited by the Trump administration in the suit. In May, President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funds to the state if it did not comply with an executive order he signed Feb. 5. The California Interscholastic Federation sought to strike a compromise at the state high school track and field championships by enacting a rule change that allowed athletes assigned female at birth to receive medals based on where they would have finished if a transgender athlete had not competed. That resulted in the awarding of two titles in the girls' high jump and long jump -- events in which transgender athlete AB Hernandez finished first. The Trump administration filed a similar lawsuit in May against the state of Maine, alleging similar Title IX violations. More than half the states have passed laws preventing transgender athletes from competing on female school sports teams, saying they are trying to prevent competitive advantages. However, the laws don't take into account someone's athletic ability or how far they are in transitioning to another gender. Last week, the University of Pennsylvania agreed to prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women's sports and strip the record of former swimmer Lia Thomas as part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Supreme Court has announced it will weigh in on the issue. The court plans to review Idaho's and West Virginia's bans on transgender athletes joining female sports teams this fall, with a ruling likely coming next year.
