California's largest school district adopts policy to oppose transgender athletes in women's sports

On Monday, the Kern High School District (KHSD), the state's largest by enrollment and land area, approved a Title IX resolution by a 3-2 vote that restricts participation in girls' sports exclusively to biological female students.

The measure, which does not directly alter the district's athletic policies but expresses its opposition to state standards, makes KHSD the 16th district, school or board of education in California to reject the current policy protecting transgender athletes in women's sports.

KHSD serves over 40,000 students in 31 schools and employs more than 1,700 staff members annually, spanning a vast territory in Kern County. The vote comes against a backdrop of growing legal tension, as education agencies in California face a lawsuit from the Department of Justice (DOJ) for allegedly violating Title IX by allowing biological male athletes to compete in women's sports.

The resolution

The resolution was drafted by Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education, one of 16 districts that have already taken similar action.

The text notes that "the Chino Valley Unified School District affirms its unwavering support for Title IX and calls on athletic governing bodies to uphold its protections by ensuring fairness in girls’ sports; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that copies of this resolution be forwarded to the Governor of California, the California State Legislature, the California Department of Education, and the California Interscholastic Federation to demonstrate CVUSD’s commitment to protecting female student-athletes."

On her X account, Shaw, wrote:

“I authored this resolution to be the voice of our communities, to stand with our girls and protect the truth that should’ve never been silenced. Boys are boys. Girls are girls. God made them beautiful just the way they are.”

During the board meeting, several community members spoke in favor of Title IX, highlighting the biological differences that they believe create inherent advantages in competitive sports, especially for girls. The resolution does not change the district's operating policies but rather reflects the board's collective opinion on the controversial issue, according to a review by Fox News.

For its part, the Kern County School District, separate from KHSD but located in the same county, was one of the first to propose similar resolutions in August, banning transgender athletes from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity, arguing the need to "protect equity in women's sports."

Federal lawsuit and Trump's executive order

Since 2013, California state law has allowed transgender athletes to compete in women's sports, a rule that the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) defends despite the executive order signed by President Donald Trump in February. The ICF announced it would not abide by the order, aligning itself with 21 other similar states.

However, in July, the DOJ sued the state of California, the California Department of Education (CDE) and the CIF for violating Title IX, alleging that state policies discriminate against women by forcing them to compete against "biological males."

The lawsuit seeks to prevent transgender athletes from participating on women's teams, revoke federal funds and demand compensation for lost opportunities.

Similar actions taken by the DOJ

The DOJ has taken similar action: it sued Maine in April and gave Minnesota until October 10 to modify its policies, threatening litigation if the changes were not made.

In June, the federal Department of Education found California in violation of Title IX and proposed a ruling that would force schools to adopt biological definitions of "male" and "female."

Governor Gavin Newsom has publicly acknowledged that male competition in women's sports is "Deeply unfair," citing complaints from parents at their children's games.

However, his office has clarified that the CDE and CIF are independent entities not under his direct authority, and that they follow the 2013 state law signed by Jerry Brown. To change it, the legislature would have to send a bill to the governor, which has not happened.

These cases are in addition to the federal lawsuit, filed weeks after a transgender athlete won two state titles in track and field in late May.

Public opinion: A bipartisan majority in favor of biology

A bipartisan poll from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) revealed that most residents oppose transgender athletes, biologically male athletes competing in women's sports, with more than 70% of public school parents in favor of teams based on sex assigned at birth.

Specifically, 65% of adults and 64% of likely voters support transgender athletes competing on teams commensurate with their biological sex, not their gender identity; among public school parents, support reaches 71%.