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The Trump administration filed a lawsuit against the state of California on Wednesday following a Department of Education investigation that found the state had discriminated against women by “allowing males in girls’ sports and intimate spaces.”
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division alleged in its complaint, filed in a Los Angeles federal court, that the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) violated Title IX by allowing biological males to compete in girls’ sports, resulting in female athletes being “displaced from podiums, denied awards, and miss out on critical visibility for scholarships and recognition.”
“This discrimination is not only illegal and unfair but also demeaning, signaling to girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to accommodating boys,” the complaint stated.
The DOJ emphasized that California’s receipt of $44.3 billion in federal funding for fiscal year 2025 was contingent upon compliance with Title IX.
“It erodes the integrity of girls’ sports, diminishes their competitive experience, and undermines the very purpose of Title IX: to provide equal access to educational benefits, including interscholastic athletics,” the filing continued.
The lawsuit seeks a court order to halt the state’s current policies, compensate female athletes “who have been denied equal athletic opportunities … including correcting past athletics records,” and require the state to submit “regular compliance reports” for at least five years.
Under Title IX, schools that receive federal funding must provide equal opportunities regardless of sex. CIF, which governs high school sports in California, receives some of its funding from the state education department.
This legal action follows an earlier case in which transgender swimmer Lia Thomas was stripped of titles from the University of Pennsylvania after the institution faced pressure from the Trump administration. The university also agreed to formally apologize to biological female athletes who had lost to transgender competitors.
A related investigation required CIF to “restore to female athletes all individual records, titles, and awards misappropriated by male athletes competing in female competitions” by July 7 or face “imminent enforcement action.”
One athlete affected was Katie McGuinness, a high school long jumper who placed second to a transgender athlete during the CIF Southern Section Final in May. Following the investigation, federal officials requested that California’s Education Department issue a “personalized letter apologizing on behalf of the state of California” to McGuinness for the discrimination she experienced.
CIF oversees athletic programs for over 750,000 students in grades 9 through 12. According to state officials, fewer than ten transgender athletes currently compete in California’s K–12 sports system, which includes nearly six million athletes.
California is among more than 20 states that allow athletes to participate based on their self-identified gender. This stands in opposition to a February executive order from President Trump that prohibits biological males from competing in women’s sports and threatens to withhold federal funding from states that do not comply.
“The Governor of California has previously admitted that it is ‘deeply unfair’ to force women and girls to compete with men and boys in competitive sports,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “But not only is it ‘deeply unfair,’ it is also illegal under federal law. This Department of Justice will continue its fight to protect equal opportunities for women and girls in sports.”
Governor Gavin Newsom acknowledged the fairness concerns during a March podcast discussion with Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk but stopped short of advocating for a ban. “My position is that I don’t think it’s fair,” Newsom said. “But I also think it’s demeaning to talk down to people, and to belittle the trans community.”
During a recent appearance in South Carolina, Newsom reiterated that he has “struggled with the issue of fairness when it came to sports,” noting, “We tried to figure that out a couple of years ago, and we were unsuccessful.”
A January New York Times poll found that a majority of Americans — including up to 69% of Democrats — support sex-segregated participation in sports. Research has also shown that transgender female athletes may retain performance advantages over biological females even after undergoing hormone therapy.
“The CIF does not comment on legal matters,” a spokesperson for the organization said. Neither Governor Newsom’s office nor the California Department of Education provided an immediate response to requests for comment.
