Martin Luther King Jr. High School located in Riverside, California, has confronted a dispute regarding a transgender athlete on its cross country team and a lawsuit filed by two girls on the team who claim that their “Save Women’s Sports” T-shirts were likened to swastikas by school officials. The institution has encountered backlash locally from […]
Martin Luther King Jr. High School located in Riverside, California, has confronted a dispute regarding a transgender athlete on its cross country team and a lawsuit filed by two girls on the team who claim that their “Save Women’s Sports” T-shirts were likened to swastikas by school officials.
The institution has encountered backlash locally from its own student body as well as nationally from advocates for female athletes, including Riley Gaines and Jennifer Sey.
In a communication shared with Fox News Digital, the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) indicated that it has permitted the transgender athlete to participate on the team in order to adhere to California state legislation. The school asserted that those who express discontent should channel their frustrations towards state and federal lawmakers.
“As these issues unfold in our legal system and the media, opposition and demonstrations should focus on those who can influence those laws and policies, including officials in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento,” the statement expressed.
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The statement further referenced provisions in the California Education Code, California Code of Regulations, and California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) bylaws, which all specify safeguards for transgender athletes in public educational institutions.
“It is essential to acknowledge that RUSD is obligated to comply with California law which stipulates that students must be ‘allowed to participate in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender indicated on the pupil’s records,'” the statement noted.
“Although these regulations were not established by RUSD, the district is devoted to adhering to the law and CIF guidelines. California law prohibits discrimination against students based on gender, gender identity, and gender expression and explicitly bans discrimination based on gender in physical education and athletics. The protections afforded to all students not only align with the law but also with our fundamental values, including equity and welfare.”
The RUSD’s communication did not address the issue concerning the “Save Women’s Sports” T-shirts.
California has had state regulations in place to safeguard transgender athletes in female sports since 2014. That year, AB 1266 was enacted, granting California students at both scholastic and collegiate levels the right to “partake in sex-segregated school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and utilize facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, regardless of the gender specified in the pupil’s records.”
Moreover, Martin Luther King High School is not the first public establishment to attribute Democrat-authored state laws to a contentious confrontation with student-athletes over sharing facilities with transgender athletes.
The University of Nevada, Reno faced a controversy involving its women’s volleyball players in October, when the athletes’ plea to forfeit a match against a team with a transgender athlete was initially rejected by the administration.
The players publicly declared their intention to forfeit the match and conducted a press conference where they accused the university of attempting to coerce them into participating. Team captain Sia Liilii claimed that athletic department officials informed the players they “didn’t comprehend the science” of competing against a transgender athlete.
The university disclosed a statement to Fox News Digital, clarifying that it could not comply with the players’ request to forfeit the match without breaching Nevada state law. The state’s constitution was amended in 2022 when Nevada voted to adopt the Equal Rights Amendment, which included gender identity among the list of protections.
Nevada state Sen. Pat Spearman, a Democrat from North Las Vegas who co-sponsored the bill for ballot inclusion, stated that the law has supported transgender individuals in maintaining their identity.
“Being a state university, a forfeiture for reasons related to gender identity or expression could be considered a form of outright discrimination and violate the Nevada Constitution,” added the university’s statement.
The university ultimately forfeited the match just one day before it was scheduled due to a lack of players available to compete.
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California and Nevada are not the sole states that have experienced disputes involving public school girls opposing competition against a transgender opponent over the past year.
Even states with regulations aimed at limiting transgender participation have encountered situations where it has occurred due to rulings by liberal judges. New Hampshire and Virginia, both states with such laws, faced challenges in 2024.
Judges Landya McCafferty of New Hampshire and M. Hannah Lauck of Virginia, both appointed during the Obama era, issued decisions this year that allowed biological males to compete on high school girls’ soccer and tennis teams. McCafferty authorized two transgender athletes to compete in New Hampshire, while Lauck adjudicated that an 11-year-old transgender tennis player could compete against girls of the same age in Virginia.
The Biden administration implemented a comprehensive regulation in April that clarified that Title IX’s prohibition on “sex” discrimination in schools encompasses discrimination based on gender identity, sexual orientation, and “pregnancy or related conditions.” The administration asserted that the regulation does not pertain to athletic eligibility. Nonetheless, several experts provided evidence to Fox News Digital in June indicating it would likely lead to an increase in biological men competing in women’s sports.
The RUSD’s communication on Friday has provided the district with an opportunity to remind the community that it is subject to the decisions of the Democratic establishment in this regard.
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Nonetheless, students have pushed back.
California Family Council Outreach Director Sophia Lorey reported that over 150 students have donned the T-shirts at school since the dispute commenced, alleging that students who did not adhere to the new dress code were compelled to spend hours in the principal’s office. Lorey indicated that these students plan to persist in this behavior regularly despite the school’s updated policy.
“I received those numbers from parents directly involved,” Lorey informed Fox News Digital in an exclusive discussion. “I have also been informed on social media that the students aim to continue this every Wednesday.”
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