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Time of India
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Play by our gender rules or pay the price: Trump's Title IX ultimatum to California education department
FILE - AB Hernandez, a transgender student at Jurupa Valley High School, stands on the podium during a medal ceremony for the triple jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, file) In the sun-soaked fields of California's public schools, a new legal and ideological storm is brewing, one that reaches far beyond track meets and podium finishes. At the heart of this unfolding clash lies a single, charged question: Can a student's gender identity coexist with federal protections for sex-based equality in education? In what is shaping up to be one of the most consequential education-rights disputes of recent times, the Trump administration has accused California's education department and high school athletics federation of violating Title IX, a landmark civil rights law that bars sex discrimination in federally funded schools. The reason? California's decision to allow transgender girls to compete in girls' sports. What began as the story of a teenage athlete named AB Hernandez, has now evolved into a constitutional confrontation with national implications. With federal funding on the line and ideological lines hardening, the fight over how schools define fairness, inclusion, and legality is no longer theoretical; it is immediate, raw, and threatening to redraw the legal foundations of public education. Track star turned target: The teen behind California's Title IX clash Seventeen-year-old Hernandez didn't set out to become the face of a national controversy. But her athletic triumphs at California's high school state championship, first-place finishes in the girls' high jump and triple jump, and second in the long jump, did more than just earning her medals. They triggered a political firestorm. To navigate the controversy, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) implemented an unusual compromise: Awarding duplicate medals to the cisgender athletes who would have won, had Hernandez not competed. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo It was a symbolic gesture, but one that satisfied no one and drew national attention. Within weeks, the US Department of Education launched investigations into both the CIF and the state's education department, calling California's inclusive policy a violation of Title IX. Trump's Title IX ultimatum: Ban trans girls from girls' sports or lose school funding Under the Trump administration's interpretation, Title IX must be grounded in binary, biological sex. The administration insists that the law was designed to protect opportunities for girls and women in education and sports, protections that, they argue, are being eroded when transgender girls are allowed to compete. 'California has failed to uphold its obligation to protect girls under Title IX,' said Education Secretary Linda McMahon in a statement. The department's proposed resolution is sweeping: California must prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls' sports, require schools to adopt sex-specific definitions of 'male' and 'female,' revoke awards given to trans athletes, and issue apology letters to the cisgender athletes affected. Failure to comply within 10 days could result in the loss of federal education funding, a move that would shake California's public school system to its core. California's rebuttal: Inclusion is not noncompliance The California Department of Education, however, is refusing to back down. 'All students should have the opportunity to learn and participate fully in school life,' said Liz Sanders, spokesperson for the department in a statement. That stance is backed by California law, which allows students to participate in school activities in accordance with their gender identity. But now, that state-level policy is in direct defiance of federal demands, setting up a constitutional standoff that could reach the courts. California schools on the edge of a funding cliff At risk in this ideological war are California's public schools. Billions in federal funds, used for everything from special education and lunch programs to Title I support for low-income students, could be withdrawn if the state refuses to comply. The Justice Department is already pursuing a similar lawsuit against Maine after it rejected a nearly identical policy demand. Educators now find themselves in a state of legal confusion. They are trying to support all the students, but are scrambling to find which law to follow. The guidelines change with each administration, and they are at the precipice of executing them. The national context: A legal doctrine in transition This clash is not happening in isolation. It's part of a broader campaign by the Trump administration to redefine civil rights in education by limiting protections for transgender students. Under Biden, Title IX was expanded to include gender identity, a policy that was struck down by a federal court before Trump returned to office. Now, the pendulum has swung dramatically in the opposite direction. By aggressively enforcing a biology-based interpretation of sex, the Trump administration is reshaping Title IX into a tool for cultural conservatism, wielding federal funding as leverage to pressure states into compliance. The strategy is effective, but also polarizing. Legal scholars warn that the clash could soon head to the Supreme Court, where the nation's highest bench may ultimately decide whether Title IX protects transgender students or excludes them. More than a policy fight, a test of educational values At its core, this is not just a fight over medals, podiums, or policies. It's a confrontation over the purpose of public education. Is the role of schools to reflect the evolving understanding of identity and inclusion? Or to preserve fixed notions of fairness rooted in biology? For millions of students across the country, the answer will determine more than just who can run, jump, or compete. It will shape whether their schools are places of belonging or battlegrounds for civil rights. California has made its choice. The Trump administration has drawn its line. And the nation's schools are now the proving ground for a legal, moral, and cultural conflict that will define the future of education in America. 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Sky News AU
10-06-2025
- Sport
- Sky News AU
Trans athlete AB Hernandez says it's ‘weird' people protested high school track events: ‘I did what I wanted to do'
California transgender athlete AB Hernandez believes it's 'weird' that people were so outraged by her competing against biological females that they protested multiple high school track events. The teen, who was born a biological male, is on the track and field team at Jurupa Valley High School in Southern California, which dominated the California high school track-and-field championship on May 31. The high school junior faced scrutiny at events over the last few months, with many actively protesting at meets and online since Hernandez was participating against biological females. 'It's definitely crazy, I get a lot of hate comments, but I'm like, 'I don't care,'' Hernandez told KCRA. '[I'm a] 16-year-old girl with a mad attitude. You think I'm going to care?' The student-athlete also found people who were continually protesting the high school events to be a bizarre sight. 'It's just weird at this point,' Hernandez said. While dozens of demonstrators were outside the stadium gates to protest, Hernandez said people were more supportive inside. 'I wasn't expecting any of it, to be honest. I was just expecting to go out there and compete alone, but the support was amazing,' she said. 'They really made my experience perfect. I will forever be grateful for them because they helped me get through the weekend.' Hernandez tied in the varsity high jump final against two biological females, Jillene Wetteland and Lelanie Laruelle, and shared the podium with them due to a newly passed California policy. The student-athlete also took home gold for the triple jump, finishing with a final jump of 42 feet 2 inches, and had to share the podium with Kira Grant Hatcher, who jumped 40 feet 5 inches. 'I did what I wanted to do,' Hernandez said. 'My performance was all I wanted to be good. So all this backlash … I performed my best, so that's all I cared about.' The California Interscholastic Federation changed its rules before the event to mandate that any biological females who lost to a trans athlete would not lose their place, meaning Hernandez's performance would displace no female winners. The new rule also allowed an additional biological female student-athlete to compete in each category in which Hernandez was set to perform. The change came in the wake of criticism over the federation's handling of Hernandez's success, including from President Trump, who threatened to withhold funding from the Golden State. 'California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum [sic], continues to ILLEGALLY allow 'MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN'S SPORTS,'' Trump wrote on Truth Social. Trump previously warned that federal funding would be 'held back, maybe permanently' if the Golden State didn't adhere to his February executive order to safeguard women's sports. The president also said at the time that he would order 'local authorities, if necessary, to not allow' a transgender athlete to compete in the women's track and field contest, though he did not mention Hernandez by name. The Trump administration previously launched an inquiry into Maine to determine whether it was breaking Title IX rules by allowing transgender athletes to compete, putting at least $250 million in annual federal funding for the state in the crosshairs. However, the White House later agreed to unfreeze funding for Maine amid litigation and negotiations. Last month, the Justice Department announced plans to investigate whether California's School Success and Opportunity Act, which allows transgender students to compete in women's sports, violates Title IX. Originally published as Trans athlete AB Hernandez says it's 'weird' people protested high school track events: 'I did what I wanted to do'
New York Post
10-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Trans athlete AB Hernandez said it's ‘weird' people protested high school track events: ‘I did what I wanted to do'
California transgender athlete AB Hernandez believes it's 'weird' that people were so outraged by her competing against biological females that they protested multiple high school track events. The teen, who was born a biological male, is on the track and field team at Jurupa Valley High School in Southern California, which dominated the California high school track-and-field championship on May 31. The high school junior faced scrutiny at events over the last few months, with many actively protesting at her at meets and online since Hernandez was participating against biological females. 6 Transgender athlete AB Hernandez believes it's 'weird' that people were so outraged by her competing against biological females that they protested multiple high school track events. KCRA 'It's definitely crazy, I get a lot of hate comments, but I'm like, 'I don't care',' Hernandez told KCRA. '[I'm a] 16-year-old girl with a mad attitude. You think I'm going to care?' The student-athlete also found people who were continually protesting the high school events to be a bizarre sight. 'It's just weird at this point,' Hernandez said. While dozens of demonstrators were outside the stadium gates to protest, Hernandez said people were more supportive inside. 'I wasn't expecting any of it to be honest. I was just expecting to go out there and compete alone, but the support was amazing,' she said. 6 The student-athlete also found people who were continually protesting the events to be a bizarre sight. AP 'They really made my experience perfect. I will forever be grateful for them because they helped me get through the weekend.' Hernandez tied in the varsity high jump final against two biological females, Jillene Wetteland and Lelanie Laruelle and shared the podium with them due to a newly passed California policy. The student-athlete also took home gold for the triple jump, finishing with a final jump of 42 feet and 2 inches, and had to share the podium with Kira Grant Hatcher, who jumped 40 feet 5 inches. 'I did what I wanted to do,' Hernandez said. 'My performance was all I wanted to be good. So all this backlash… I performed my best, so that's all I cared about.' 6 A plane tows a sign that reads 'No Boys in Girls Sports' in protest to transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley (not pictured) during the CIF State Track and Field Championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Clovis, Calif. Sports/Newscom via ZUMA Press 6 Hernandez tied in the varsity high jump final against two biological females, Jillene Wetteland (R) and Lelanie Laruelle, and shared the podium with them due to a newly passed California policy. AP The California Interscholastic Federation changed its rules before the event to mandate that any biological females who lost to a trans-athlete would not lose their place, meaning Hernandez's performance would displace no female winners. The new rule also allowed an additional biological female student-athlete to compete in each category in which Hernandez was set to perform. The change came in the wake of criticism over the federation's handling of Hernandez's success, including from President Trump, who threatened to withhold funding from the Golden State. 'California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow 'MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN'S SPORTS,'' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 6 A sign that reads 'Goo Girls. Honor Title IX' at a protest against transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley during the CIF State Track and Field Championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Friday, May 30, 2025, in Clovis, Calif. Sports/Newscom via ZUMA Press 6 The student-athlete also took home gold for the triple jump, finishing with a final jump of 42 feet and 2 inches, and had to share the podium with Kira Grant Hatcher, who jumped 40 feet 5 inches. AP Trump previously warned that federal funding would be 'held back, maybe permanently' if the Golden State didn't adhere to his February executive order to safeguard women's sports. The president also said at the time that he would order 'local authorities, if necessary, to not allow' a transgender athlete to compete in the women's track and field contest, though he did not mention Hernandez by name. The Trump administration previously launched an inquiry into Maine to determine whether it was breaking Title IX rules by allowing transgender athletes to compete, putting at least $250 million in annual federal funding for the state in the crosshairs. However, the White House later agreed to unfreeze funding for Maine amid litigation and negotiations. Last month, the Justice Department announced plans to investigate whether California's School Success and Opportunity Act, which allows transgender students to compete in women's sports, violates Title IX.
San Francisco Chronicle
10-06-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
California sues to prevent Trump from cutting funding over transgender athletes
The Trump administration's effort to cut off billions of dollars in funding to California schools for allowing transgender girls to compete in sports is both hateful and illegal, the state asserted in a federal court lawsuit Monday. The suit by Attorney General Rob Bonta's office on behalf of state education officials and Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration was triggered by last week's threat from President Donald Trump to withhold all federal aid to public schools in the state — more than $8 billion a year — after a transgender athete, AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School, won two events at the state high school track meet. Harmeet Dhillon, the top civil rights official in Trump's Justice Department, has also told California school districts that they would forfeit federal funding unless they defied an order by the California Interscholastic Federation to allow students to join teams that corresponded with their gender identity. 'The demand that (school districts) discriminate against students on the basis of sex-based characteristics and gender identity … invites discrimination, harassment, and hostility into educational programs and activities, which undermine the social and emotional well-being of all students (and especially the well-being of transgender students),' the state's lawyers said in a suit filed in federal court in San Francisco. Trump issued an executive order on Jan. 20, his first day in office, declaring a government policy to 'recognize only two sexes, male and female,' as determined at birth. In addition to renewing efforts from his first administration to exclude trans athletes from girls' and women's sports and ban trans soldiers from the U.S. military, he has cut off federal funding for transgender health care. Dhillon, who practiced law in San Francisco before joining the Trump administration, has described transgender females as 'men pretending to be women.' The California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees sports competition in California public schools, implemented a state law in 2013 with an official policy declaring that students 'should have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity.' Dhillon's June 2 letter to school districts asserted that the CIF policy would 'allow male participation in girls' interscholastic activities,' in violation of the U.S. Constitution's ban on sex discrimination. But the state's lawsuit, filed against the U.S. Justice Department, said it was Dhillon who was advocating discrimination. 'Prevailing law holds that (Dhillon's) demand — namely, for schools to categorically ban transgender students from participating in athletic programs in accordance with their gender identity — violates the Equal Protection Clause,' the 14th Amendment's ban on government policies that discriminate based on race, ethnicity or gender. Deputy Attorney General Edward Nugent wrote in the court filing. He cited recent court rulings, including a decision by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last September that an Arizona law banning transgender girls and women from female sports teams in schools and colleges was 'the essence of discrimination.' The Supreme Court, however, has not yet ruled on a case raising similar issues, a challenge to laws in Tennessee and other states that prohibit hormone treatments and other gender-affirming care for minors who identify as transgender. Nugent said Congress, whose laws govern Dhillon's Justice Department, has never authorized the department to issue a demand like Dhillon's letter to California schools. And he said medical studies show that transgender teenagers are 'at far higher risk of suicide' than other youths, particularly when their gender identity is denied. 'Athletics allow students to gain confidence, develop important social and emotional skills, build social connections, and experience the camaraderie of being on a team,' the state's lawsuit said. 'Being able to live consistent with one's gender identity is critical to one's health and well-being,' and that identity 'cannot be changed by medical, psychological or social intervention.'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trans athlete singled out by Trump wins gold anyway: 'I'm not scared of them'
Even after she was singled out by the president of the United States, AB Hernandez is "living a normal life." Donald Trump recently threatened to to withhold federal funding from California unless the state banned a 16-year-old transgender girl from competing in the state girls' finals over the weekend, referring to her as a "transitioned person" who is "practically unbeatable." Though he did not mention her by name, the remarks appeared to be about Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School who had recently won two CIF Southern Section titles in girls' long jump and triple jump. Hernandez isn't phased by the noise, as she recently told The Guardian that she's instead focused on her "baby" — track. 'I can tune it out pretty well. I don't really care," Hernandez said. "It's weird when reporters come, and I'm like, I forgot I'm famous now. But for the most part, I'm living a normal life, and then I go on social media and, I'm like, wait, I'm known.' Just hours after Trump's post on Truth Social, California's high school sports authority quietly expanded eligibility for the state track and field championships, permitting cisgender girls to advance if they narrowly missed qualifying by losing to a trans girl. The policy also awards cis girls the highest medals even if a trans girl beats them. Hernandez won two gold medals and one silver at the state finals, and ended up sharing the podium with two other girls who she said she will "forever be grateful for." Instead of complaining, the girls embraced her as a competitor and even "stood up for me" when asked about competing against a trans girl. It's the same reception she's received at her school. Even though her district voted for Trump, Hernandez said that her classmates "see how hard I train" and "have a lot of respect for me." The only problems she's dealt with have come from the government. 'They try to use intimidation tactics to push people to quit, but I'm not scared of them. They bark, but we bite,' she said. 'I don't think they realized who they messed with. People say, 'Ooh, they messed with the wrong kid.' But at the same time, they messed with the right one. Because I'm not keeping my mouth shut.'
