United States: Trump administration sues California over transgender athletes
The federal Justice Department is criticizing Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom's state for continuing to allow transgender athletes to compete in women's championships.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it is filing a lawsuit against the state of California, accusing it of continuing to allow transgender athletes to participate in women's sports. In April, the Justice Department filed a similar lawsuit against the northeastern state of Maine, with Attorney General Pam Bondi stating that Minnesota and California could be next on the list.
The Trump administration is already engaged in a legal battle with California's Democratic Governor, Gavin Newsom , over the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles in early June to respond to protests against immigration arrests by federal immigration enforcement (ICE). On June 3, the Republican president promised "far-reaching fines" for California after a transgender high school student won a local track and field championship.
Skip the ad"California's governor has previously acknowledged that it is profoundly unfair to force women and girls to compete against men and boys in competitive sports," Secretary Pam Bondi said in a statement Wednesday. "But it's not only profoundly unfair, it's also illegal under federal law," she said. In March, Newsom expressed his opposition to the participation of transgender women in youth sports.
A distancing from the position of the Democratic camp which had caused a stir, coming from a personality considered as an advocate of LGBT+ rights and one of the favorites for the Democratic nomination for the 2028 presidential election. Asked on his podcast by a conservative influencer if he opposed the presence of "men in women's sports" , the governor of California replied: "I agree with you that it's a question of fairness. It's profoundly unfair" .
Transgender rights are a major theme of the societal tensions fracturing the United States. Donald Trump made it a focus of his 2024 campaign, promising to put an end to the "transgender delusion." Since returning to power on January 20, he has reversed several gains made by transgender people. In February, he signed an executive order authorizing federal agencies to cut funding to schools that allow transgender athletes to compete in women's championships.
lefigaro
