Trump Admin Probes Alleged Discrimination Against Female Athletes in California

Federal DOJ, DOE to investigate California Community College Athletic Association’s ‘Transgender Participation Policy’

Riley Gaines speaks at a rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court as justices hear arguments in two cases in which states have banned males from participating in female-only sports, in Washington on Jan. 13, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

The Trump administration has launched an investigation into the California Community College Athletic Association amid allegations that its “Transgender Participation Policy” discriminates against female athletes and violates Title IX laws under the Education Amendments of 1972.

“The fact that a Community College Athletic Association has a ‘Transgender Participation Policy’ is a stunning indictment of our culture. Women’s sports are for women,” Department of Education Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a Jan. 15 press release.

“Yet California’s Governor Gavin Newsom—despite admitting the truth on a podcast—continues to put ideology above the safety of and fairness for his own students.

“The Trump administration will not tolerate policies that erase women’s rights.”

In his own March 6, 2025, podcast, “This is Gavin Newsom,” the governor admitted to his guest, conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, that it’s “deeply unfair” to allow men to compete in women’s sports.

The California Community College Athletic Association policy states that “a trans[gender] female ... or non-binary student-athlete who has completed at least one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment ... may compete on a women’s team.”

In April 2025, “amid a staggering volume of Title IX complaints,” both the federal departments of Education and Justice announced the creation of the Title IX Special Investigations Team (Title IX SIT) to streamline investigations and expedite enforcement.

The team’s first investigation was into the California Department of Education.

“The Title IX SIT looks forward to investigating this matter to ensure every woman has equal access to educational programs and athletic opportunities—because fairness and safety are non-negotiable,” Richey said.

According to a complaint submitted to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the policy “resulted in discrimination against at least three female athletes on the basis of sex by allowing a male athlete to participate on the women’s volleyball team at a member college and access locker facilities for women during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.”

It further alleges the association ignored complaints of female students about “the harms caused to females when male students participate in female sports.”

Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance and states: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Erin Friday, an attorney and co-leader of Our Duty, a parent support group that opposes transgender medical procedures for minors, told The Epoch Times via text message.

“California leads the nation in displacing sex-based rights with rights based on so-called gender identity, so it makes perfect sense for the administration to focus on California’s blatant violations of Title IX,” Friday said.

“California is the death-star of gender ideology, and the state desperately needs to return to biological reality.”

Newsom’s office did not immediately respond to an inquiry on Jan. 15.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Jan. 13, 2025. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

Earlier this week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on two cases challenging state laws that ban men from competing in women’s sports.

In a speech outside the court, U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon vowed to uphold Title IX to protect female athletes.

“As President Trump has made clear, America is in its Golden Age, one where female students and athletes have equal access to fair and safe competitions and female-only intimate spaces, free from divisive and discriminatory ideologies,” McMahon said.