California school sports officials announce change in trans rules after Trump threatens to end federal funding

Girls in public school sports will have a greater chance to compete despite the presence of a transgender athlete, thanks to a change in the rules from the California Interscholastic Federation.

The CIF said that biological female students who lost a spot to compete because of a transgender athlete would be allowed to compete anyway. They announced the rule change after a threat from President Donald Trump but claimed they had made the decision before he made his ultimatum.

‘Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to.’

“The CIF values all of our student-athletes and we will continue to uphold our mission of providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete while complying with California law and Education Code,” read the statement from the CIF. “With this in mind, the CIF will be implementing a pilot entry process for the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships.”

Trump said Tuesday that California’s federal funding would be cut if the state didn’t comply with his executive order against allowing transgender athletes to compete against biological females in sports.

“Under this pilot entry process, any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section’s automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet, and did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet, was extended an opportunity to participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships,” the CIF explained.

The rule change would allow two female athletes to compete in the state championships in track and field on Friday. They had been previously locked out after Ab Hernandez, a biological male, competed in the girls’ events. Hernandez took first place in the triple jump, third in the long jump, and eighth in the high jump.

“California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum, continues to ILLEGALLY allow ‘MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS.’ This week a transitioned Male athlete, at a major event, won ‘everything,’ and is now qualified to compete in the ‘State Finals’ next weekend,” wrote the president in response.

“Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to,” he added.

“I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!” Trump concluded.

RELATED: Trans student athlete demands school board protect ‘queer’ students from ‘hateful’ intimidation after locker room controversy

Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images

Hernandez has claimed that the other athletes on the team support his presence on the girls’ team.

“My team is very special, very diverse. We have probably one of the strongest bonds known. We’re probably unbreakable,” Hernandez said to Capital & Main. “Everyone tells me, ‘Well, you gotta win now. You got to win. You got to let the haters talk about something new.’”

Some have pointed out that California is a net contributor to federal funds, so the threat to pull its funding would not significantly hurt if the state were also to pull the funds it sends to Washington, D.C.

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