The largest high school district in California has approved a resolution that bars transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
The Kern High School District, which serves around 40,000 students in Bakersfield, voted 3-2 in favor of a resolution aligning with the Trump administration’s Title IX regulations, which restrict participation of biological males identifying as females in women’s sports.
This decision might create a clash between the district and Governor Gavin Newsom, who leads a Democratic assembly noted for its liberal stance.
Sonya Shaw, President of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education, authored the resolution. She stated, “I created this resolution to give a voice to the community, to support the girls and defend truths that deserve to be heard. Boys are boys. Girls are girls. Each has their unique beauty as created by God. It’s time to restore fairness, truth, and common sense to education.”
Shaw’s community previously passed a similar resolution.
Chino and Khan districts are among several schools in California embracing comparable resolutions. To date, a total of 16 school districts have enacted policies prohibiting transgender athletes in accordance with the Title IX rules from the Trump era.
This district opposes state laws from 2013 that permit transgender athletes to choose the gender teams they wish to join.
Resistance against transgender athlete participation is escalating in states often viewed as far-left.
Recently, eight girls’ high school volleyball teams declined to compete against Jurupa Valley High School, which allows transgender players on its girls’ team.
Several girls have initiated legal actions against both the school district and the state.
Three girls, two of whom are Catholic and one Muslim, have lodged a complaint alleging that the Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD), the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), and the California Department of Education (CDE) have violated their rights by permitting boys to use girls’ locker rooms, infringing upon their religious beliefs.
Alyssa McPherson and Hadier Hazame, two of the female athletes, indicated their withdrawal from the team stemmed from religious convictions and discomfort with boys in the girls’ locker room.
The complaint notes, “Plaintiffs feel threatened in a hostile environment created by the defendants and face pressure from school officials to silence their objections to competing against biological males and sharing intimate spaces with them.”
It further states, “Their faith stresses the importance of humility, dignity, and gender distinctions that align with biological sex in both practice and identity.”
Governor Gavin Newsom has sidestepped accountability for these issues, asserting that he did not set the transgender policies in question and that any changes would depend on the legislature. While he did not commit to signing any amendments, his past support for transgender rights in schools raises doubts about his willingness to endorse a ban on transgender athletes.
