Trump Warns California Over Transgender Policy Amid Sports Controversy
President Donald Trump recently issued a warning to California and Governor Gavin Newsom regarding the state’s transgender policies, particularly as new issues arose related to high school volleyball. This comes after AB Hernandez, a transgender athlete, played for the Jurupa Valley High School women’s volleyball team.
Riverside Poly High School decided to avoid competing against the Jurupa Valley team, amid ongoing debates. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) has been central to the discussions surrounding gender participation in sports, having updated some of its regulations. However, this has not stopped the U.S. Department of Justice from filing lawsuits against the CIF and the California Department of Education regarding these policies, especially in light of Trump’s executive order from February.
Trump expressed his concerns in a post, emphasizing that California school districts that do not comply with transgender policies would face funding cuts. It’s, um, quite a contentious issue, and as he put it, “Thank you for being aware of this.”
Newsom’s office responded after a request for comment. One official, Elana Ross, remarked that Trump is, it seems, escalating the conversation around children’s access to education and health due to his “culture war.”
Issues surrounding transgender athletes in women’s sports linger despite Trump’s order aimed at barring biological men from competing. California has not been quick to alter its stance on this matter, with certain counties, like Kern County, opting to modify their rules against state guidelines.
While Newsom has stated that the California Department of Education and CIF follow the 2013 laws, he has also voiced his concerns about fairness—asserting that men competing in women’s sports is “unfair.”
In a previous statement, Newsom acknowledged the challenges in finding equitable solutions for these issues, saying, “When it comes to sports, I struggled with fairness issues.” He noted that discussions around transgender individuals should always be approached with respect, expressing disapproval of the derogatory language often used by conservatives. “These people just want to survive,” he emphasized.
