California continues to allow trans-athletes into female’s sports, despite President Donald Trump’s executive order and threats to cease federal funding.
One example is how CIF allowed AB Hernandez, a biological male, to compete in the girl’s track and field state championship. He won first place in the high jump and the triple jump and second place in the long jump.
The rally demands an end to allowing males to compete in girls' sports in California.
CFC said in a press release that attendees will gather with concerned people including community leaders outside of the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel. The meeting began this morning at 9:00 A.M. Pacific Time/11:00 A.M. Central Time.
Sophia Lorey is the Outreach Director of California Family Council.
“We will be outside of the CIF meeting, urging CIF to take a stand and protect girls sports. They oversee all of the high school athletics in the state of California, and they have continued to allow boys to invade girls' sports and spaces,” Lorey says before the meeting.
She said her team at CFC has heard girls share some of their experiences, from losing the first place title to a male or changing in the car because of a male in the locker room.
“We are going to hand-deliver a petition with almost 20,000 signatures making sure that CIF follows a sex-based standard, follows Title 9, and commits to restoring and saving girls' sports,” Lorey states.
This petition also comes with the support of 41 state and nationwide organizations with a variety of political and religious backgrounds, all wanting Title IX to be upheld by the CIF.
Lorey said they're expecting about 50 people to be in attendance due to it being a weekday. Four to five current CIF female athlete will speak at the rally concerning their story and so will parent’s whose daughters have gone through this.
The attorney Julianne Fleischer will also make an appearance. She is currently leading the lawsuit against the state of California for law AB 1266, which allows males to play in female sports.
“We're going to be coming at CIF from every angle, making sure they know that their current athletes, the parents of current athletes, attorneys, and leaders across the state of California are ready for them to make a change,” Lorey says.
Lorey wanted to point out that her team has been attending these CIF meetings for two years now.
“We're bringing those signatures, and we're going to make sure the nation knows whether CIF is going to either help to save girls' sports or be one of the leading organizations to erase them. So, we need everyone to be on watch and paying attention to what CIF does, because as California goes, so does the nation,” Lorey states.
Today, Lorey spoke at the rally. She talked about how Title XI was signed 53 years ago for girls to have the chance to train, compete, and win on their own terms and how CIF is basically erasing that protection in California.
Furthermore, Lorey said this is not about hate, but rather the truth.
"We speak the truth because we care and every athlete deserves fairness, but that fairness cannot exist when boys are allowed to take the lanes, the medals, and the dreams meant for girls," Lorey explains.
Lorey also had a message for boys saying they are transgender, stating that she is sorry that they have been lied to by the adults and institutions in their lives, but they deserve the truth.
“You were not born in the wrong body. There was no mistake when you were made. The truth is not hate; the truth is love,” Lorey states.
Her final message went to the girls.
“To every girl listening, to every parent who feels silenced, to every coach or teacher torn between truth and policy, you are not alone. We are fighting, and we will not stop until girls’ sports are once again for girls only."
