O.C. and the Debate over Transgender Student-Athletes

The debate over transgender student-athletes competing in girls’ high school sports in California has exploded in the last few weeks. 

It’s been heightened to the national level by a Jurupa Valley Unified School District transgender student’s success in the girls’ track and field state championships last weekend and President Donald Trump’s threat to withhold federal funding from California for allowing it. 

Spotlight Schools has been following this story and this is a brief summary of what has happened recently in Orange County related to the issue.

First, some background. California and the California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees high school athletics, allow students to participate in sex-segregated sports that align with their gender identity based on a law enacted in 2014.

The practice is a legal target of the Trump administration and his supporters in California. They argue that it violates Title IX, a federal law that bars discrimination on the basis of sex. Supporters of expanding LGBTQ+ rights argue the current California law is actually in alignment with Title IX.

Here in Orange County, some local school board members are echoing Trump's arguments in their public opposition to California's law.

Last month, Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District Board of Education Trustee Leandra Blades introduced a symbolic resolution at the board’s May 6 meeting. It declared that “the Placentia-Yorba Linda Board of Education supports policies that restrict participation in women’s sports to athletes who are biological females, in order to promote competitive fairness, athlete safety, and the integrity of women’s athletics.” 

After a lot of discussion, the measure, which would not have changed any rules in the district, failed on a 3-2 vote. 

On May 8, three private schools in O.C., JSerra Catholic High School, Orange Lutheran and Crean Lutheran, sent a joint letter to CIF expressing their “strong opposition” to its inclusive policy regarding transgender athletes. The schools had athletes competing in the CIF girls’ track and field playoffs taking place May 10 at Yorba Linda High School.

The day of the track meet in Yorba Linda, Blades spoke at a podium set up on campus. People stood behind her with signs in pink text stating: “CIF: Save Girls Sports.” The event turned into a “political rally,” according to The New York Post.  The O.C.-based group Pride at the Pier was also at the track meet voicing support for trans athletes.

At its May 21 meeting, the Capistrano Unified School District Board of Education voted 4-2-1 in favor of a resolution “supporting Title IX/Fairness in Girls’ Interscholastic Sports.” The resolution, which did not change any district policies, was passed “after several hours of impassioned testimony, board member clashes and tense public outbursts,” according to The Orange County Register.

Days before the 2025 CIF Girls Track and Field Championships, CIF announced a rule change for that competition that would allow more "biological females” to participate when transgender athletes were also competing. As a result, AB Hernandez, the transgender student-athlete from Jurupa Valley High School, “shared two first-place medals and a second-place medal with cisgender competitors,” at the finals held in Clovis May 30 and 31, reported EdSource.

This week, the U.S. DOJ sent a letter addressed to California Public School Districts regarding the CIF's Gender Identity Participation policy. The DOJ letter called the policy “facially unconstitutional” and a violation of The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. 

The letter signed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Harmeet K. Dhillon argued districts following the policy are exposed to legal liability. Dhillon wrote to districts, “To ensure compliance and avoid legal liability, you must certify in writing by 5:00 p.m. ET on June 9, 2025, that you will not implement CIF Bylaw 300.D.”

On June 3, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond issued a statement in response to Dhillon’s letter that suggested districts take no action.

Thurmond wrote, in part: “The DOJ’s letter to school districts does not announce any new federal law, and state law on this issue has remained unchanged since 2013. California state law protects all students’ access to participate in athletics in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity. We will continue to follow the law and ensure the safety of all of our athletes.” 

At a Placentia-Yorba Linda USD board meeting on Tuesday evening, Blades attempted to introduce a measure to respond to the DOJ's "Dear Public School District" letter. The board voted 3-2 against her motion with the acting superintendent and board members in opposition citing Thurmond's statement and guidance from the Orange County Department of Education legal counsel. 

“I think the best approach at this point is to wait and see what further direction we get from the [California Department of Education], from the governor and see if there’s anything that they are going to be doing to either change California law or respond to this,” Todd Robbins, the district's legal counsel, said. He also stated that, to his knowledge, there are no trans athletes in the district at this time.

Blades suggested the board not wait to follow the DOJ letter. "And so we make the change, we follow by the rule, and then, you know, if the [Orange County Department of Education] overturns it, at least we're not sitting on the other side of the the thing where they said, you denied the DOJ and so no now we're pulling federal funding," Blades said.

After the vote against taking action on the letter, PYLUSD Board President Marilyn Anderson said, "Well, we'll get more information and then we can make an informed decision."

Spotlight Schools will continue to follow developments on this story. Have something to add? Please email hello@spotlightschools.com.