The Trump administration has sued the California Department of Education after the state refused to ban trans athletes from school sports.

On Wednesday (9 July), President Donald Trump’s administration sued California’s Education Department after it refused to follow the anti-trans Trump administration order, which bans trans athletes from competing in women’s and girls’ sports.

It’s the latest move between the country’s Republican administration and the Democratic state, with California’s high school sporting authority California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) changing its rules to support trans athletes, rather than taking Trump’s ban on trans women and girls in sport lying down. 

The Justice Department filed a lawsuit claiming that California’s trans athlete policies violate Title IX, a claim which the Trump administration made two weeks ago, which bans discrimination in education based on sex.

The department says in the lawsuit that California’s rules “are not only illegal and unfair but also demeaning, signalling to girls that their opportunities and achievements are secondary to accommodating boys,” as per AP News.

It adds that its policies “ignore undeniable biological differences between boys and girls, in favor of an amorphous ’gender identity”. 

“The results of these illegal policies are stark: girls are displaced from podiums, denied awards, and miss out on critical visibility for college scholarships and recognition,” the lawsuit says.

California’s Education Department and the CIF, which was also named as a defendant, said they would not be commenting on the legal action. 

While California Governor Gavin Newsom was not formally able to comment as he was not named a defendant, his office said the Trump administration’s legal actions are “a cynical attempt” to distract from the government’s withholding of funds for after-school and summer classes.

The state has a law which has allowed students the right to participate in sex-segregated school programs, including sports teams, and use bathrooms and other facilities that match their gender identity for more than a decade. 

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a warning to other states allowing trans girls and women to compete in girls and women’s sporting categories, that they may also be targeted by the federal government.

She said via a social media video: “If you do not comply, you’re next. We will protect girls in girls’ sports.”

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