Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday threatened the state of California with legal action after the state refused to ban transgender girls from participating in girls' sports as required by the Trump administration.
"California has just REJECTED our resolution agreement to follow federal law and keep men out of women's sports. Turns out Gov. Newsom's acknowledgment that 'it's an issue of fairness' was empty political grandstanding. @CAgovernor, you'll be hearing from @AGPamBondi," McMahon wrote in a post on X, using the handles for Democrat California Gov. Newsom and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
McMahon's statement was the latest salvo in the culture wars over transgender youth and ratchets up the personal rivalry between Trump and Newsom. Trump has made the issue of transgender athletes participating in women's sports a priority since returning to office in January. California law has allowed student-athletes to participate in sports in alignment with their gender identity since 2013.
The Department of Justice declined to comment and the Education Department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for clarification on the meaning of McMahon's comment.
California's Education Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Newsom's office and the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports, declined to comment.
The Education Department issued a statement in June declaring California in violation of the Trump administration's interpretation of Title IX, the education law banning sex-based discrimination, and demanding the state alter its policy. The state rejected the federal government's directive, and in June filed a lawsuit against the DOJ in anticipation of legal action.
With controversy brewing ahead of the state high school track and field championship in June, the CIF allowed girls displaced from the finals by a transgender athlete to also be granted space to compete. The CIF also allowed girls to appear on the winners' podium if they would have won a medal without a transgender athlete competing.
As a result, the CIF crowned two champions in the girls' high jump and triple jump after a biological male, AB Hernandez, won both events.
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