Today, in what is expected to be a heated political showdown, a bill called the “Protect Girls’ Sports Act” is scheduled to be debated in a public hearing.
The legislation was introduced by Kate Sanchez, a Republican assembly member. Her bill asks the California Interscholastic Federation to keep transgender girls – boys – out of all-female sports in the state. CIF is the governing body for high school sports in the state.
A companion bill, which would address female-only locker rooms and showers, was introduced by Republican lawmaker Bill Essayli.
Neither bill has any chance of surviving long in the Democrat-led legislature, where gender ideology is like a cultish religion and any criticism of it, or even a hint of doubt, is like speaking heresy.
UPDATE: California lawmakers have rejected two bills aimed at keeping biological males from competing in female sports. More details ...
The committee, the Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism, is chaired by a homosexual activist, Christopher Ward, who is also chair of the legislature’s “LGBTQ Caucus.”
In a quote to The Sacramento Bee, Ward dropped a hint the Democrat-dominated committee is going through a routine process before the bill is killed.
“We’re hoping we can document that we’ve had this debate,” Ward told the Bee, “and put it to rest once and for all.”
Greg Burt, of California Family Council, tells AFN the liberal Democrat is wrong if he thinks Californians are ignoring the issue.
“No, no, this is just the beginning. Things are just getting started,” Burt insists. “If he thinks a hearing is going to end the debate, he's going to be sadly disappointed."
DOE launches pro-girl investigation
After the California legislature stomped out a parental-rights push within some school districts last year, California has now learned the U.S. Department of Education is conducting a Title IX investigation of CIF.
That announcement from the DOE, made in February, came after President Trump signed a “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order.
The DOE investigation of California was applauded by Sonja Shaw, the school board president for Chino Valley. Back in 2023, after that school district passed a parental notification policy, she witnessed California’s attorney general, Robert Bonta, launch a “civil rights” investigation of Chino Valley and sue it in court.
Bonta at the time was unable to cite any state law Chino Valley was violating, but the Democrat-dominated legislature fixed that problem with a new law, AB 1955, that crushed the parental notification policies.
Moving ahead 2 1/2 years, however, Bonta received a blistering rebuke from a federal judge just two months ago. Bonta tried to use his state office to dismiss a lawsuit filed by two parent-defending middle school teachers.
In his ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Roger T. Benitez wrote that a parent’s right to make decisions for their children “is one of the oldest of the fundamental liberty interests that Americans enjoy.”
In a statement this week, Shaw said female athletes are being “pushed aside” in California and that must end.
“We will not be silenced. We will not stop fighting for our daughters and all young female athletes,” Shaw said. “CIF must follow Title IX or we will ensure the world knows they are complicit in destroying women’s sports.”
Newsom reminded of his own words
Burt points out that California’s liberal governor, Gavin Newsom, made news recently for claiming he supports women-only sports.
Newsom surprised many when he made that comment in his new podcast that featured conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a guest. Since Newsom is expected to run for president in 2028, it was viewed by many as a clever attempt by the liberal politician to move to the middle on a hot-button issue.
Whether he meant it or not, Gov. Newsom was reminded of his comments in a warning letter from Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. She warned Newsom about the Title IX investigation and reminded him of his "deeply unfair" comment about male athletes. She also urged the Governor to support the two GOP-sponsored bills.
