In a bold defiance of President Donald Trump's latest executive order, the State of California and its public school athletics association have declared their intention to continue allowing transgender athletes to participate in girls' and women's sports.
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has stated that it will uphold the state's law, which permits athletes to compete as the gender they identify with.
As reported by The San Francisco Chronicle, this decision has sparked a wave of controversy, with critics arguing that it undermines the safety and rights of female athletes. Among these critics is Sophia Lorey, the California Family Council Outreach Director, who expressed her disgust at the state's defiance of Trump's executive order in a conversation with Fox News Digital.
"I am disgusted that CIF is disregarding yesterday's executive order and instead doubling down on policies that are not only unfair, but dangerous for young women across California," Lorey said. "By prioritizing their idol of transgender ideology over the safety and rights of female athletes, they are knowingly exposing high school girls to unsafe competition and stripping them of opportunities guaranteed for them under Title IX."
Lorey further criticized the CIF board for choosing to align themselves with what she believes is an ideological agenda, at the expense of the safety, fairness, and dignity of young girls. "One day, the CIF board will look back and realize they chose to be on the wrong side of history," she warned.
In contrast to California's stance, the NCAA announced on Thursday that it has amended its policy on gender eligibility. In response to Trump's order, biological males are no longer allowed to compete in the women's category. However, at the youth and high school level, girls may still be subject to state law.
In California, a law known as AB 1266 has been in effect since 2014. This law grants California students at scholastic and collegiate levels the right to "participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupils records."
The California Code of Regulations section 4910(k) defines gender as, "A persons actual sex or perceived sex and includes a persons perceived identity, appearance or behavior, whether or not that identity, appearance, or behavior is different from that traditionally associated with a persons sex at birth." CIF Bylaw 300.D. mirrors the Education Code, stating, "All students should have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on a students records."
These laws and the subsequent enabling of trans athletes to compete with girls and women in the state has led to multiple controversies over the past year. One of the most contentious local controversies is currently unfolding at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California. A recent school board meeting saw parents berating the board for allowing a trans athlete on the girls' cross-country team. A lawsuit filed by two girls on the team alleges that their protest T-shirts were compared to swastikas.
In another incident, Stone Ridge Christian High School's girls' volleyball team forfeited a match over the presence of a trans athlete on the opposing team. A transgender volleyball player was also booed and harassed at a match between Notre Dame Belmont and Half Moon Bay High School.
In response to these controversies, California State Assembly member Kate Sanchez announced on Jan. 7 that she is introducing a bill to ban trans athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports. The proposed Protect Girls Sports Act is similar to laws already in effect in 25 states.
"Young women who have spent years training and sacrificing to compete at the highest level are now forced to compete against individuals with undeniable biological advantages. Its not just unfair its disheartening and dangerous," Sanchez said in a statement announcing the bill. As California continues to grapple with this contentious issue, the future of girls' and women's sports in the state remains uncertain.
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