President Donald Trump’s administration has sued the California Department of Education for allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams.
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, signaling to girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to accommodating boys.”
U.S. 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 criticized the participation of a transgender high school student-athlete who won titles in the California track-and-field championships last month.
