In a bold stand for trans rights, California officials are refusing to comply with an order from Donald Trump’s administration to bar transgender athletes from K–12 school sports. On June 27, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon gave the state 10 days to sign a resolution agreement demanding an end to trans-inclusive sports policies — and even called for personalized apologies to cisgender athletes who lost to transgender competitors. But California’s response is a firm “no.” Len Garfinkle, general counsel for the California Department of Education, wrote that
“The California Department of Education respectfully disagrees with OCR’s analysis, and it will not sign the proposed Resolution Agreement.”
Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom’s office went further, calling the document a political move without legal force. Newsom’s communications director, Izzy Gardon, added that McMahon was confusing government with her WrestleMania days — dramatic, fake, and completely divorced from reality.
McMahon did not mince words either, firing back on Twitter, writing,
“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,” adding that he would be hearing from the U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Shannon Minter of the National Center for LGBTQ Rights said,
“This administration is targeting California in an attempt to intimidate it into backing away from its strong anti-discrimination laws… I’m encouraged to see the California Department of Education is standing up to that.”
For now, California’s message is clear: Trans kids belong — on the field, on the court, and in the fight for fairness.
