California's Largest HS District Bans Trans Athletes in Girls' Sports To Adopt Title IX After Facing Lawsuit From DOJ

On Monday, 6 October 2025, Kern High School District in Bakersfield voted 3–2 to ban trans athletes from girls' sports. KHSD is California's largest high school district by student numbers and land area.

It adopted a resolution aiming to align with Title IX requirements after being sued by the DOJ. The move responds to federal pressure and seeks to counter existing state law.

Trans Athletes Banned in Girls' Sports

The board's narrow vote (3-2) introduced a policy stating that only those assigned female at birth may compete in girls' sports, as per Fox News. That shift makes KHSD the 16th California district to repudiate the state's prior trans-inclusive rules.

The resolution came from Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley Unified School District board, who had first advanced it elsewhere. Under this rule, biological males identifying as female would no longer be eligible for girls' teams.

The decision followed controversy over a transgender student, A.B. Hernandez, who won gold medals in state finals and reignited debates.

An Effort To Adopt Title IX

KHSD's leaders say their resolution will permit it to more fully comply with Title IX, the 1972 law banning discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programmes. The district sees the change as restoring fairness in girls' athletics by limiting competition to biological females.

'Boys are boys. Girls are girls. God made them beautiful just the way they are. It's time to put fairness, truth, and common sense back into education', said Shaw.

This choice arrives amid federal pressure. Earlier in 2025, the US Department of Justice sent formal letters and launched legal scrutiny over California's law AB 1266, which allowed transgender students to join teams matching their gender identity. The DOJ claimed that the policy violates Title IX protections.

The federal lawsuit names California's athletic bodies including the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and education agencies. The suit alleges these groups engaged in a discriminatory 'pattern or practice' by permitting biological males in female sports.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon argued that allowing males to play in girls' sports undermines civil rights. The DOJ seeks injunctions and structural reforms.

Officials Defend Banning of Trans Athletes

Supporters of KHSD's move emphasise fairness, safety, and equal opportunity for biological girls. They say the ban is not discriminatory but protects vulnerable athletes. Greg Burt of the California Family Council praised the DOJ's enforcement and the district's decision as principled.

Despite California's historic protection of transgender participation, Governor Gavin Newsom has recently voiced concern about fairness. On a podcast earlier in 2025, he said the matter seemed unfair to women. Yet his office later clarified that neither the California Department of Education nor CIF falls under his direct authority, and any legal change must come through the legislature.

Proponents also point to public opinion surveys showing strong support across California adults, voters, and public school parents for requiring transgender athletes to compete based on birth sex.

KHSD's vote marks a seismic policy reversal at the local level in response to federal legal pressure. Whether it survives court challenge or prompts broader legislative change in California remains uncertain.