WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥 The Trump administration has found that the California Department of Education and the state鈥檚 high school sports federation violated civil rights law by allowing transgender girls to compete on girls sports teams.
The federal Education Department Wednesday and proposed a resolution that would require California to bar transgender women from women鈥檚 sports and strip transgender athletes of records, titles and awards. It鈥檚 the latest escalation in the Republican administration鈥檚 effort to from women鈥檚 sports teams nationwide.
If California rejects the proposal, the Education Department could move to terminate the state鈥檚 federal education funding.
鈥淭he 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,鈥 Education Secretary Linda McMahon said. 鈥淭he state must swiftly come into compliance with Title IX or face the consequences that follow.鈥
Title IX is a 1972 law forbidding sex discrimination based in education.
California education and sports officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.
Federal officials opened an investigation into the California Interscholastic Federation in February after the organization said it would abide by a state law allowing athletes to compete on teams consistent with their gender identity. That followed an signed by President Donald Trump that was intended to ban transgender athletes from participating in girls and women鈥檚 sports.
In April, McMahon's department opened an investigation into the California Department of Education over the same issue.
Both investigations concluded that state policies violated Title IX. The administration has been invoking the law in its campaign against transgender athletes, launching of into schools, colleges and states. It鈥檚 a reversal from the Biden administration, which attempted to expand Title IX to provide protections for transgender students. A federal judge the expansion before Trump took office in January.
The administration's proposed resolution would require California to notify schools that transgender athletes should be barred from girls athletic teams and that all schools must 鈥渁dopt biology-based definitions of the words 鈥榤ale鈥 and 鈥榝emale.鈥欌 The state would also have to notify schools that any conflicting interpretation of state law would be considered a violation of Title IX.
Athletes who lost awards, titles or records to transgender athletes would have their honors restored under the proposal, and the state would be required to send personal apology letters to those athletes.
A similar resolution was offered to Maine鈥檚 education agency in with the administration over transgender athletes. Maine in April, prompting a Justice Department lawsuit seeking to terminate the state鈥檚 federal education funding.
Under federal guidelines, California鈥檚 education office and the sports federation have 10 days to come into compliance or risk enforcement action.
The federation separately at a state track meet in May, allowing one extra competitor in three events featuring high school junior AB Hernandez, who is trans. The organization announced the change after Trump took to social medial to criticize Hernandez鈥檚 participation. The Justice Department said it would investigate Hernandez鈥檚 district and the state to determine if Title IX was being violated.
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