A school board in California has recently voted to prohibit transgender athletes from participating in sports that do not correspond with their biological sex.
The Kern County Board of Education adopted a resolution on Tuesday associated with Title IX. Title IX is a federal law mandating equal opportunities for boys and girls in school sports and programs. This development follows earlier reports that under California law, transgender students can partake in sports that match their gender identity.
Trustee Lori Cisneros stated, “Now, there be it resolved the Kern County Board of Education affirms it is for Title IX and calls on athletic governing bodies to uphold its protections by ensuring fairness in girls’ sports.” Some supporters of the resolution have suggested that transgender athletes should establish their own competitive sports teams.
However, the decision has not been without its critics. A woman attending the board meeting expressed that the resolution unfairly targets a marginalized group while overlooking real inequalities. She argued that “protecting women means protecting all women, including trans women.”
It has been reported that the Kern County Board oversees around 400 students in county-run alternative education programs, none of whom participate in school sports. The resolution doesn’t influence sports in Kern’s 46 school districts, yet Cisneros urged these districts to follow their lead and “protect girls.”
Kern County is not alone in this decision. Other school boards across California have supported similar motions to ban transgender athletes from girls’ sports. Both the Redlands Unified School Board and the Chino Valley Unified School District voted against the participation of transgender athletes in girls’ sports.
The Trump administration recently filed court documents accusing California of violating federal law by allowing transgender athletes to compete in school sports. This raises important questions about the implications of these resolutions for the rights of transgender students.
The governing board for California high school sports, as per reports, amended its competition rules at its state track-and-field championships to allow more “biological female” athletes to participate amidst controversy over a trans student-athlete’s participation.
