A high school girls’ basketball playoff game in California is drawing attention to the state’s policy regarding transgender athletes, as San Francisco Waldorf is set to face Cornerstone Christian with an openly transgender athlete on their team, Fox News reports. This situation unfolds amidst an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) into California’s Interscholastic Federation (CIF) for its stance on transgender athletes competing in accordance with their gender identity, a policy that aligns with California law but contradicts President Trump’s executive order seeking to restrict transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ sports.
Cornerstone Christian is currently set to proceed with the game as per the team’s decision. Athletic Director Madison Alexander told Fox News Digital, “As long as the parents are on board with playing the game, we will support the girls’ hard work this season and play the game.
This decision contrasts with a previous incident where Stone Ridge Christian forfeited a volleyball playoff match against San Francisco Waldorf due to the same transgender athlete’s participation.
The CIF’s policy allows students to participate in sports consistent with their “gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the student’s records,” according to a statement.
However, this policy has faced significant opposition. The DOE’s Deputy General Counsel, Candice Jackson, has stated the department’s intention to monitor the basketball playoffs as the investigation into CIF’s compliance with Title IX continues. Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
“Trump’s executive order vows to cut federal funding for any institution that enables trans athletes to compete against girls and women. According to USA Facts, California public schools receive about $16.8 billion per year, which is 13.9% or one in every seven dollars of public school funding, which is well above the national average,” according to Fox News.
A number of California residents have protested and even threatened lawsuits against the state for refusing to comply with Trump’s order. Fox News reports that California lawmakers introduced three bills in the state legislature “aimed to combat trans inclusion.” Assemblymember Bill Essayli, introduced one bill focusing on sports specifically that would “require that students use all school facilities to only play on sports teams based on their biological sex and not their gender identity.”