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5d ago

Trump Threatens Fines After Transgender Athlete Wins California Girls’ State Track Titles

The Justice Department set a June 9 deadline for California schools to rescind their transgender athlete policy under threat of litigation.

Before California's track and field meet on May 31, 2025, President Donald Trump demanded that transgender athletes like AB Hernandez not be allowed to compete in girls' track and field events. Three days before the meet, the California Interscholastic Federation enacted a rule change that allowed athletes assigned female at birth to receive medals based on where they would have finished if a transgender athlete had not competed. Hernandez, who placed first in the high jump and triple jump and finished second in the long jump, shared the podium with her cisgender competitors.
Guests witness Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signing the Save Women in Sports Act in Oklahoma City on March 30, 2022.
Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon gestures while attending a meeting of the Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias Task Force, at the Justice Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 22, 2025. REUTERS/Ken Cedeno/File Photo
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Overview

  • AB Hernandez placed first in the girls’ high jump and triple jump and second in the long jump at the CIF state championships, sharing podium spots under a new rule.
  • President Trump warned via Truth Social that he will impose “large-scale fines” on California for defying his February order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.
  • The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division delivered a letter directing public schools to bar transgender athletes or certify by June 9 that they will face legal action under Title IX and the Equal Protection Clause.
  • The California Interscholastic Federation adjusted its eligibility policy to allow displaced female athletes to compete in state finals and share medals when outscored by a transgender competitor.
  • Similar legal battles persist in Maine, Oregon and Washington as the administration presses states to comply with its ban on transgender athletes in women’s sports.