California school makes decision on trans athletes in girls' sports amid Trump lawsuit

Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the trans community which some readers may find distressing.

A school in California has now made its decision regarding whether or not it will allow trans athletes in girls' sports amid the state's legal back and forth with Donald Trump.

Back in February, Donald Trump signed an executive order to ban trans women from girls' sports. The order directs the Education Department to inform schools that allowing transgender athletes to compete will put them in violation of the federal law banning sex discrimination in schools.

However, the state of California was sued last month by the Trump Administration, with Trump's Justice Department alleging the state has violated the law and not followed the executive order.

And now, the Kern County Board of Education in California has become the latest blue state board of education to pass a local resolution to keep trans women out of girls' sports, while its state law does the opposite, citing Title IX and federal law supremacy.

The Kern County Board of Education in California passed a resolution to keep athletes competing based on the sex they were assigned at birth (Andrew Harnik / Staff / Getty Images)

In a 6-0 vote on Tuesday (12 August), the board passed a resolution to keep athletes competing based on the sex they were assigned at birth, and they’re openly defying the state to do it in response to claims of Governor Gavin Newsom's 'illegal' defiance of federal law.

Board President Mary Little told Fox News Digital that the decision is down to following federal law first, specifically Title IX, which she argues was meant to protect cisgender female athletes from unfair competition.

"We’ve talked about it on and off, especially since there’s been a problem with how Governor Newsom has been responding to the federal law," Little said.

"He’s not following the original intent of Title IX … so those laws are supposed to trump California laws, and we’re supposed to obey those before we follow an illegal California law."

Little also told the outlet that her school board has yet to receive any pushback from the state government in regard to the new resolution.

Kern County Board of Education Trustee, Lori Cisneros, added: "I believe it’s necessary to do our duty to protect girls in sports, and I’m looking out for their safety and fairness.

Board President Mary Little has called out the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom (Mario Tama / Staff / Getty Images)

"I am not happy with the governor. He is not complying with federal law … and he is intentionally pushing to go against what Title IX is all about.

"I see it affecting families with girl athletes who are frustrated about having to compete against a biological male. And they’re frustrated because biological males, naturally, are stronger, bigger and just different than how girls are designed."

"(Newsom) is costing the taxpayers a lot of money by illegally thwarting the law," Little declared.

She went on to say that parents have a 'constitutional right' to prevent their daughters from competing against those born biologically male in girls' sports.

The board president even went as far as to suggest that putting trans athletes in girls' sports and changing rooms is a 'discriminatory practice'.

"It’s just a fundamental constitutional right for parents to have children in sports without their students being subjected to discriminatory practices," Little claimed. "Males are males, and females are females.

"There’s biological differences. A man is able to do more, faster and stronger."

Newsom has previously said he doesn't 'like the way the right wing talks about the trans community' (Vladimir Vladimirov / Getty Images)

Governor Newsom has previously stated that both the CDE and CIF are following laws the state enacted in 2013.

However, he has said on multiple occasions now that he believes trans athletes competing in girls' sports is 'unfair'.

"I struggled with the issue of fairness when it came to sports," he said in response to the lawsuit last month. "And we tried to figure that out a couple of years ago, and we were unsuccessful. And we struggled with that recently.

"And my position is that I don’t think it’s fair, but I also think it’s demeaning to talk down to people and to belittle the trans community. And I don’t like the way the right wing talks about the trans community.

"These people just want to survive."

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]