Department of Education: California must bar trans girls from girls sports

The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that California and the California Interscholastic Federation violated Title IX by allowing transgender female athletes to compete in women’s and girls’ sports in the state and is requesting that both parties change their “unlawful practices” within 10 days. California’s AB 1266 requires that students be allowed to participate in sex-segregated school programs like sports teams and competitions consistent with their gender identity, regardless of their gender listed on their records. “The Trump Administration will relentlessly enforce Title IX protections for women and girls, and our findings today make clear that California has failed to adhere to its obligations under federal law,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon commented. In response Liz Sanders, director of communications at the California Department of Education, said: “The California Department of Education believes all students should have the opportunity to learn and play at school, and we have consistently applied existing law in support of students’ rights to do so.”