County Board of Education bans transgender athletes from girls' sports
The board's resolution affirms its interpretation of Title IX as protecting competitive fairness in women's athletics.
The Kern County Board of Education voted Tuesday to bar transgender athletes from participating in girls’ sports, adding the district to a growing list of California school boards moving to restrict competition to biological females.
The resolution affirms the board’s interpretation of Title IX as protecting competitive fairness in women’s athletics and calls on athletic governing bodies to enforce those protections. Supporters argued the measure was necessary to preserve equal opportunities for female athletes.
Kern County Board of Education trustee Lori Cisneros called on athletic governing bodies to uphold Title IX protections and “ensure fairness” for female athletes, KBAK-TV reported.
[RELATED: California defies federal order to bar males from girls’ sports]
The decision follows a lawsuit filed last month by the Justice Department against California, alleging the state’s policy allowing transgender athletes in girls’ sports violates federal civil rights law. The California Department of Education has maintained its policy despite warnings from President Donald Trump’s administration that federal funding could be withheld.
Opponents contended the Kern County resolution unfairly targets a marginalized group and diverts attention from broader issues in girls’ sports.
”If the board truly cared about fairness, it would talk about equal funding for girls’ programs, better coaching resources, and ensuring all students have the equipment they need,” KBAK-TV reported that one speaker said. “Instead, this resolution targets one marginalized group while ignoring real inequities.”
The speaker said the resolution was a “double standard” and a “distraction” from real solutions.
[RELATED: 28 Attorneys general demand NCAA reinstate women’s titles, records taken by male athletes]
Kern County joins a growing bulwark of districts, schools, and leaders taking similar actions.
In July, a transgender runner filed a discrimination lawsuit after he was allegedly blocked from participating in a girls’ race by Princeton University.
Earlier this month, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services unveiled a new policy barring males from receiving a visa to compete against females. The new rule applies to multiple visa categories.
As the conflict over the transgender issue remains at the forefront of American cultural conflict, the Kern County vote places the district at the center of California’s intensifying debate over the future of sex-based athletic competition.