The battle over transgender athletes' participation in youth sports will come to California on Tuesday as state lawmakers debate two bills aimed at keeping trans kids and teens off sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
One of the proposals would reverse a 2013 law allowing students to participate on a sex-segregated sports team that aligns with their gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on their records. The other would require the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports, to adopt rules banning students whose sex was assigned male at birth from participating on a girls school sports team.
The Republican-backed bills are expected to draw a crowd to the state Assembly’s Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism hearing, where lawmakers in the Democrat-controlled legislature will decide whether to advance them. Conservative political commentator Matt Walsh and a student-athlete who says a trans runner took her spot on her high school's varsity cross country team are scheduled to testify in support of a ban.
The hearing comes a day after Transgender Day of Visibility. It also comes weeks after Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom made waves and angered party allies when, speaking on his podcast, he questioned the fairness of transgender athletes participating in girls sports. Newsom hasn't directly called for a reversal of state law and generally does not comment on pending legislation.
Democratic Assemblymember Chris Ward, the committee chair who leads the legislative LGBTQ+ caucus, said he hopes the hearing will “provide a balanced setting where both sides can present their arguments and engage in rational deliberation.”
“Whether these bills advance or not, my hope is that after Tuesday’s hearing, we can shift our focus back to real-life, pressing issues impacting Californians every day—such as making the cost of living more affordable—instead of furthering divisive culture wars,” he said in a statement.
At least 24 states have laws on the books barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain women’s or girls sports competitions. Judges have temporarily blocked bans in Arizona, Idaho and Utah. In New Hampshire and West Virginia, students who sued those states over bans were allowed to compete.
At the federal level, President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month aimed at barring transgender athletes from participating in girls and women's sports.
The bans are part of a nationwide battle over transgender rights, with some states also imposing bans on gender-affirming care and requiring schools to share students’ gender identity with parents without the students’ consent.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon weighed in on California's proposed ban. She sent Newsom a letter last week, saying his remarks on his podcast caught her attention and requesting he clarify his stance and support the bill that would reverse the 2013 law.
“Take a stand on your convictions,” she wrote. "Be clear about the harms of gender confusion. Protect female spaces. Do not encourage children to seek permanent medical interventions to their sex. Inform parents."
The U.S. Department of Education also announced an investigation last week into the state education department over a law banning school districts from requiring teachers and staff to notify parents if a student changes their gender identity at school.
