California Lawmakers Disapprove Measures to Prohibit Males From Competing in Women’s Sports

April 3, 2025 TruthUSA

Members of the committee listened to an athlete who expressed that she lost her position on the varsity cross-country team to a transgender athlete.

Lawmakers in California have turned down a proposal that would have mandated male student-athletes who identify as transgender to participate in sports teams aligned with their biological sex.

On April 1, the Democratic members of the Assembly’s Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism voted against two measures introduced by Republican lawmakers—AB 89 and AB 844. Democrats maintain a supermajority on the committee.

AB 89 aimed to require the California Interscholastic Federation, which oversees high school athletics, to enforce regulations that prevent male students from competing on girls’ teams.

AB 844 sought to effectively abolish the California School Success and Opportunity Act of 2013, which allows students to participate in sex-segregated school programs, including sports teams, and utilize facilities such as bathrooms based on their gender identity. This bill would have applied to both K-12 and college students.

Democratic Assemblyman Chris Ward, chairperson of the committee and leader of the legislative LGBTQ+ caucus, claimed that the proposed bills represent an attack on transgender youth.

“Let’s be clear—this isn’t about fairness,” he declared in an Instagram post. “It’s about fear and exclusion, and I won’t support it.”

“Targeting transgender athletes does not protect anyone; it harms all girls,” Ward stated, representing significant areas of San Diego. “This must come to an end.”

Republican Assemblyman Bill Essayli, who sponsored AB 844, argued that the legislation would restore fairness in women’s sports.

“California will align with Title IX, either through legislation or through the courts,” Essayli commented during the hearing on Tuesday. “Title IX was enacted to safeguard sex-specific sports, ensuring girls have their own teams to compete and achieve.”

Essayli emphasized that even one woman affected by the current state law is too many.

“You are taking rights away from women,” he stated.

Cross-country athlete Taylor Starling testified at the hearing, revealing that a biological male identifying as female had taken her varsity cross-country place. She had served as co-captain of the team.

“Having my earned position taken away meant I missed the chance to run alongside my varsity team in one of the premier cross-country events of the season,” Starling expressed. “My Title IX and free speech rights as a girl are significant too. Why are we, as girls, being told to remain silent while boys unfairly advance in life?”

After the vote, Essayli used social media to criticize Assembly Democrats for perpetuating what he sees as a conflict against women’s rights.

The Corona lawmaker noted that the majority of Californians want to prohibit transgender women from competing in girls’ sports.

“Assembly Democrats are deeply disconnected from the common-sense values of California voters, who will demand accountability to uphold justice and fairness in women’s sports,” he remarked in a statement.

A recent Pew Research Center poll indicated that 66 percent of Americans believe transgender athletes should compete in sports according to their birth sex.

“Our young women are compelled to change in locker rooms alongside boys,” remarked Assemblyman and Republican leader James Gallagher from Chico, adding this was an absurd consequence of misguided policy.

Republican Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez of Rancho Santa Margarita emphasized in the press conference that the bill focused specifically on CIF competitive high school sports.

“We advocated for all high school female athletes. They deserve a secure environment. They deserve protection,” she stated.

Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, made waves in March by expressing on his podcast that allowing transgender male athletes to participate in female sports is unjust.

Later that Tuesday, Essayli announced his resignation from the Assembly to take on the role of interim U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, appointed by President Donald Trump.

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