Controversy over trans athletes in girls' sports prompts California to consider ban

On Monday, California State Assemblymember Kate Sanchez declared that she will introduce legislation prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in female sports.

The Protect Girls’ Sports Act will be proposed by Sanchez to the state legislature. Although 25 states have enacted similar laws, California has had a state law since 2014 that allows trans athletes to participate in women's and girls' sports and requires public institutions to protect trans athletes at the expense of biological female competitors.

The bill announced by Sanchez is disheartening and dangerous for young women who have spent years training and sacrificing to compete at the highest level, as they are now forced to compete against individuals with undeniable biological advantages.

Since 2014, California's law, AB 1266, has granted students at both scholastic and collegiate levels the right to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and to use facilities that align with their gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on their records.

The California Code of Regulations defines gender as "a person's actual sex, perceived sex, identity, appearance, or behavior, regardless of whether it differs from the traditional sex associated with their birth."

The CIF Bylaw 300.D reflects the Education Code, which requires that all students have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in accordance with their gender identity, regardless of the gender listed on their records.

In 2024, the current laws in the Golden State led to numerous scandals and national controversies involving trans athletes in women's sports.

The issue of Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California, is currently the subject of a highly divisive local controversy.

The Martin Luther King girls' cross-country team in the Riverside Unified School District faced criticism from parents during a recent school board meeting on Dec. 19. A lawsuit filed by two team members alleges that their T-shirts protesting the inclusion of a trans athlete on the team were compared to swastikas due to the phrase "Save Girls Sports."

The father of a girl who lost her varsity spot to a trans athlete recently told Planet Chronicle Digital that his daughter and other girls at the school were told "transgenders have more rights than cisgender[s]" by school administrators when they protested the athlete's participation.

The Northern California Division 6 tournament match between Stone Ridge Christian High School's girls' volleyball team and San Francisco Waldorf was canceled due to the presence of a trans athlete on the team.

At a volleyball match on Oct. 12 between Notre Dame Belmont and Half Moon Bay High School in Belmont, California, a transgender athlete from Half Moon Bay was booed and harassed, according to ABC 7. Notre Dame Belmont did not roster the transgender player.

In 2024, San Jose State University's volleyball team faced challenges due to a major scandal involving transgenderism in women's sports.

Brooke Slusser, SJSU co-captain, is suing the university, the Mountain West conference, and the NCAA, claiming that the school violated her privacy and rights by making her share a team, changing spaces, and even bedrooms with teammate Blaire Fleming, who is a biological male, without informing her or other players.

During the previous season, the team attracted national attention due to controversy, with President-elect Trump criticizing Fleming for the intensity of the trans athlete's spike of the ball at an opposing player during a Planet Chronicle town hall event in October.

The team witnessed eight matches being forfeited due to a scandal, including the semifinal round of the Mountain West Tournament when Boise State refused to play the Spartans for the third time. Despite this, Slusser, Fleming, and the rest of the team played in the championship game, where they lost to Colorado State, ending their season and the two players' college careers.

Fleming's experience with Slusser was "traumatizing," as Slusser has shared with Planet Chronicle Digital.

Slusser stated that this season has been so traumatizing that he doesn't have a proudest moment.

The controversy has led most of the team's remaining players to enter the transfer portal.

Trump has vowed to implement a complete ban on trans athletes in women's sports, with near-unanimous backing from Republican allies.

In its first 100 days, the new Republican-controlled Congress will consider a bill that prohibits transgender athletes from competing in women's sports, following its approval of a new rules package on Friday.

Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., rejoiced over Friday's vote and will reintroduce the bill contained in the rules package, the Act for the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., is reintroducing the measure in the Senate, and with leadership's approval, it's expected to get a floor vote.

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