A new, bipartisan survey by the California Institute of Public Policy found that the majority of California residents are opposed to biological male transathletes competing in women's sports.
That figure included more than 70% of parents at state schools.
“Most Californians support the requirement that trans athletes compete on a team that is gender-appropriate at birth,” the poll said.
“A solid majority of adults (65%) and voters (64%) support the requirement that trans athletes compete in teams that match the gender assigned at birth, rather than the gender they identified.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, in an episode of a podcast last month, admitted that trans athletes competing in women's sports were “deeply unfair,” but defended her permission from sympathy for the transgender population.
When the state signed on February 5, it was one of the first to oppose President Donald Trump's executive order “Protecting Men from Women's Sports.”
The California Interstate Statistics Federation (CIF) said it follows state laws that allow athletes to participate as specific genders, a spokesman told Fox News Digital.
“The CIF provides students with the opportunity to belong to, connect and compete in education-based experiences complying with California laws (educational code section 221.5. (f)), allowing them to participate in school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions that match the gender identity of the students.
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The law, AB 1266, has been in effect since 2014, grants California students the right to participate in gender school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and to use facilities that match their gender identity, regardless of the gender listed in the student's records.
California Regulation Code Section 4910(k) defines gender as “including a person's actual or perceived gender, and that identity, appearance, or behavior includes a person's perceived identity, appearance, or behavior, whether or not it is different from traditional ones associated with the gender of the born person.”
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CIF bylaw 300.D. reflects the education code that states, “All students should have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in a manner consistent with their gender identity, regardless of the gender listed in the student's records.”
On April 1, the state legislature and its Democrat majority defeated two bills that amended the law so that only student-athletes could compete on the basis of biological sex.
U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has issued a warning to Newsom to comply with Trump's orders that prohibit transgender athletes from competing in women's sports. The warning and investigation comes after California became the country's first “sanctuary” state for transgender minors, and is engaged in a multi-year battle with school districts over notification policies.
Supporters of trans athletes include former female athletes, Tori Hitchcock and Salomai McCullough, young women on the right, converge as an overflow crowd outside the Unified School District Meeting along the River on December 19, 20244. (Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“By allowing students to participate in gender-segregated activities based on 'gender identity', schools put the school at a risk of Title IX violations and loss of federal funds. As governor, I have an obligation to notify California school districts of this risk,” McMahon wrote in the letter.
“As Superintendent, I ask the department to officially inform if it will remind California schools to comply with federal laws by protecting gender-segregated spaces and activities, and officially ask California teachers to protect children's “gender transition” fantasy. ”
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