When President Trump warned of financial consequences for states that allow transgender athletes in girls’ scholastic sports, he apparently meant it.
Mr. Trump threatened Tuesday to impose heavy fines on California after a biological male took home the gold at last weekend’s girls’ state track-and-field championships.
The president chastised California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, saying he knows the administration could penalize his state for allowing a biological male to participate in the event.
“A biological male competed in California Girls State Finals WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so. As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!” Mr. Trump wrote on social media.
Mr. Trump’s threat follows the Justice Department’s vow on Monday to take legal action against California public schools, arguing that a state policy that allows biological males to compete violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Constitution and discriminates against athletes on the basis of sex.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon ordered the 1,600+ schools that belong to the California Interscholastic Federation to certify by June 9 that they won’t implement the policy or face “legal liability.”
SEE ALSO: High school girls speak out as transgender track competitors take state honors
Under the policy, California schools are required to allow students to compete in activities “in a manner consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the student’s records.”
The California Interscholastic Federation approved the policy to comply with a 2013 state ban on discrimination based on gender identity, but Ms. Dhillon said it runs afoul of the Constitution.
California officials are taking a wait-and-see approach to the Trump administration’s full-court press on transgender athletes.
Mr. Newsom famously called transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports “deeply unfair” in April, but his office had no comment Tuesday on the latest administration initiatives.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office said it would uphold California law, which would presumably include the 2013 measure known as Assembly Bill 1266.
“We remain committed to defending and upholding California laws and all additional laws which ensure the rights of students — including transgender students — to be free from discrimination and harassment,” Mr. Bonta’s office said in a statement. “We will continue to closely monitor the Trump Administration’s actions in this space.”
Those cheering the administration’s relentless push for single-sex girls’ sports included Sonja Shaw, Chino Valley Unified Board of Education president, who said the board would discuss the Justice Department’s directive at its next meeting.
“I’m bringing this forward at our next board meeting this Thursday for discussion. We told you we are not playing games,” Ms. Shaw said on X. “We will not comply with insanity.”
The athlete, A.B. Hernandez, competed under a new rule change believed to be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body. California’s governing body changed the rules ahead of the meet to allow more girls to compete and medal.
A.B. won the gold in the girls’ high jump and the triple jump. The transgender athlete finished the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 7 inches with no failed attempts.
“I’m proud of her,” Nereyda Hernandez, the athlete’s mother, said after the meet. “A kid is more mature than a lot of these adults putting her in this situation. So I’m just happy, yeah. I could brag. That’s my baby.”
At the same time, she wasn’t necessarily a fan of the CIF rule change, telling KCRA-TV that “I wish they would have waited.”
In February, Mr. Trump signed an executive order banning transgender athletes from competing in girls’ sports, fulfilling a campaign promise. The order directs his administration to halt funding for schools that refuse to ban transgender athletes, but some states have resisted.
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, has said the executive order violates the state’s anti-discrimination law. She has filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing the executive order violates state and federal laws.
States that saw transgender athletes win girls’ scholastic track-and-field titles in the last week include California, Maine, Oregon and Washington.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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