UPDATE: May 28 The Department of Justice took legal action to enforce Title IX in California to protect girls’ sports. Title IX was enacted to provide equal opportunities and protections for women and girls in education, including athletics. When policies compel schools to permit males to compete in female sports divisions, they are noncompliant with the statute’s original intent and undermine the rights of female athletes. The DOJ’s investigation is a necessary step to hold California accountable, restore the integrity of girls’ athletics, and reaffirm the purpose of Title IX
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Independent Women condemns California’s radical policies that have allowed a male athlete to dominate women’s sports competitions and qualify for the high school State Finals next weekend. President Donald Trump issued a statement on X threatening to withhold federal funding if his Executive Order “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” is not adhered to.
Independent Women issued the following statements regarding the status of women’s sports in California and President Trump’s response:
Payton McNabb, Independent Women sports ambassador and former high school athlete, said:
“I’m grateful to see President Trump take a bold stand for women and girls. This is what real leadership looks like. Letting men compete in women’s sports isn’t just unfair—it’s unsafe, demeaning, and wrong. I know firsthand what’s at stake. This fight is about truth, safety, and opportunity. We must protect girls, not sacrifice them for politics. Enough is enough!”
Beth Parlato, senior legal advisor for Independent Women’s Law Center, said:
“President Trump is 100% right to demand accountability and threaten a cutoff of federal funding. California is openly defying his executive order and the clear intent of Title IX. Even Governor Newsom has publicly admitted it’s unfair to let males compete in women’s sports—yet he refuses to act. If he won’t enforce basic fairness and protect female athletes in California’s schools, then federal dollars shouldn’t flow to a state that’s actively undermining women’s rights. Enough is enough—protect girls’ sports and comply with Title IX or face the consequences.”
A band-aid at best, within a few hours of the president’s Truth post, California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) released a statement regarding 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships issuing a pilot entry process, “any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section’s automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet, and did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet, was extended an opportunity to participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championship.”
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