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WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — The Department of Justice (DOJ) followed through with its threat to sue California for refusing to keep gender-confused males out of female sports.
The DOJ filed a federal civil rights lawsuit today against the California Department of Education and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) soon after both entities refused to comply with federal law. Under Title IX, males are not allowed to compete on women’s sports teams, nor use their locker rooms, bathrooms, and other sex-segregated areas.
However, California has defied the federal government, and on Monday, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon alluded to future legal action.
“These discriminatory policies and practices ignore undeniable biological differences between boys and girls, in favor of an amorphous ‘gender identity,’” the federal lawsuit states. “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 policies are “illegal and unfair” as well as “demeaning,” according to the lawsuit. They signal that “accommodating boys” is more important than giving female students opportunities, the filing states. “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.”
Title IX is a 1972 federal law that requires educational institutions to ensure female and male students are given equal opportunities in the classroom but also in sports.
The harms of California’s gender ideology are not imagined – a male student named“AB” Hernandez won high school state championships in the high jump and long jump this spring. Governor Gavin Newsom, considered a 2028 presidential candidate, briefly acknowledged in March that Hernandez’s competition against women was an “issue of fairness.”
However, he then made the baseless claim to Turning Point CEO Charlie Kirk that “transgender” athletes might kill themselves if they were not allowed to play on girls’ sports team.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said California is “failing to protect girls on the playing field and in the locker room.”
“We’ve made it very clear: only women in women’s sports under Title IX,” Bondi said in a video posted on X. She referenced how the “transgender” male athlete won “over three dozen” medals that should have gone to female athletes.
“We will protect girls in girls’ sports,” Bondi pledged.
“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,” Bondi stated in a separate news release. “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.”
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon added: “The Justice Department will not stand for policies that deprive girls of their hard-earned athletic trophies and ignore their safety on the field and in private spaces.”
“Young women should not have to sacrifice their rights to compete for scholarships, opportunities, and awards on the altar of woke gender ideology,” Dhillon stated.
The announcement drew praise from Congressman Wes Hunt, a Texas Republican. “This is common sense: biological men should not be competing in women’s sports,” he said.
The issue of gender-confused men playing in women’s sports continues to be a controversial political issue.
The Supreme Court recently announced it will hear a case this next term concerning West Virginia and Idaho’s protections for female sports.
