The Trump administration has concluded that California violated federal civil rights law by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls’ sports teams, escalating a nationwide effort to bar transgender athletes from women’s sports.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Education announced its findings following investigations into the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the state’s high school sports governing body. Federal officials determined the policies permitting transgender participation in girls’ athletics violate Title IX, a 1972 law prohibiting sex discrimination in education.
As part of the proposed resolution, California would be required to prohibit transgender girls and women from participating in female sports, revoke titles and records won by transgender athletes, and send apology letters to athletes who lost awards. If the state refuses, the Education Department could move to strip California of federal education funding.
“The Trump Administration will relentlessly enforce Title IX protections for women and girls,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said. “California must swiftly comply with federal law or face the consequences.”
The investigations followed a February decision by CIF to follow California state law, which allows students to compete on teams aligned with their gender identity. An executive order signed by President Trump earlier this year called for the exclusion of transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports, setting off investigations in multiple states.
In April, the Education Department launched a separate probe into California’s education officials. Both investigations concluded the state’s current policies violate federal protections for female athletes.
The new resolution reflects a broader push by the Trump administration to enforce “biology-based definitions” of sex in athletics. In addition to barring transgender participation, the proposal would also restore awards to cisgender athletes who lost to transgender competitors.
Similar actions have been taken in Maine, where state officials rejected the proposal, prompting a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to revoke federal education funds.
California officials have 10 days to comply with the proposed resolution or face enforcement action, including the potential loss of federal education dollars.
At the center of the controversy is high school junior AB Hernandez, a transgender athlete who competed at a state track meet in May. CIF allowed additional competitors in events featuring Hernandez after Trump criticized the teen’s participation on social media. The Justice Department has also launched a separate investigation into Hernandez’s school district and the state.
