Tensions erupted at Thursday's California Interscholastic Federation gathering as mothers and fathers took opposing stances on regulations permitting transgender participation in female athletics.
Conservative campaigners Sophia Lorey and Beth Bourne were amongst those voicing opposition to current inclusion policies.
One parent defending transgender participation argued that "sports are inherently unfair," citing genetic variations, body differences, and disparities in training access as existing inequalities in athletics.
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California has become America's primary battleground over transgender sports participation
|FOX SPORTS
The heated exchanges reflect California's position as America's primary battleground over transgender sports participation, with the state facing legal action from the US Department of Justice for non-compliance with presidential directives.
President Trump issued a direct warning via Truth Social on Thursday, declaring that "Any California school district that doesn't adhere to our Transgender policies, will not be funded."
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This threat follows his "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order and comes as Riverside Poly High School announced its volleyball squad would refuse to compete against Jurupa Valley on Friday due to a transgender player's presence.
The Jurupa Valley athlete previously secured two state championships in girls' track and field, drawing national attention as Trump pledged enforcement action against California for permitting males in female competitions.
Legal challenges have emerged throughout California, including a lawsuit filed by two female cross-country runners at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside against their institution and Attorney General Rob Bonta.
The students claim a transgender competitor displaced a female athlete from the varsity squad, and administrators allegedly told protesting girls that "transgenders have more rights than cisgender[s]."
When the runners wore "Save Girls Sports" T-shirts, school officials reportedly likened them to swastikas.
Additional controversies include Stone Ridge Christian High School forfeiting a volleyball tournament match against San Francisco Waldorf, whilst a transgender player faced jeering and harassment during an October contest between Notre Dame Belmont and Half Moon Bay High School.
Recent polling by the Public Policy Institute of California indicates widespread opposition to transgender athletes in female competitions, with 65 per cent of adults and 64 per cent of likely voters supporting requirements for athletes to compete based on birth-assigned sex.
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Two high school track and field athletes in Oregon refused to stand on the medal podium alongside a transgender athlete earlier this year
| XSchool parents demonstrate even stronger opposition, with 71 per cent backing such restrictions.
The survey explicitly stated that "Most Californians support requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams matching the sex they were assigned at birth."
Governor Gavin Newsom's administration has come under fire over significant public resistance to current policies permitting biological males in girls' sports, potentially complicating the state's response to federal pressure.
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