President Donald Trump has warned the state of California it will face consequences after a trans athlete dominated California’s recent statewide high school track and field championship.
AB Hernandez, a biological male, won gold in two competitions for female track athletes.
Parents had protested against Hernandez’s participation in the competition to no avail.
“A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so,” said President Trump. “As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large-scale fines will be imposed!”
Last February, Trump issued an executive order prohibiting biological males from participating in female sports.
The executive order mandates the Department of Education to amend its rules to prohibit schools receiving federal funds from enabling transgender women, i.e., biological males, to participate in sports explicitly reserved for biological females.
The DOE has since then investigated schools that have reportedly violated the executive order by enabling transgender participation in athletic events.
If schools are found to have contravened the new rules, the DOE can impose penalties including civil monetary fines, withholding federal funding, and other administrative sanctions.
According to recent figures, California’s k-12 public schools depend on federal funding for around 10% of their budget.
A withdrawal of such funds could amount to billions of dollars in losses for California’s public education system.
In anticipation of potential fines and penalties, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) recently made a last-minute rule amendment.
The new rule mandates that if biological females place below any participating transgender athletes, then they will earn the spot they would have earned in the absence of such transgender athletes.
Trump’s comments, however, suggest that the CIF’s rule change is not sufficient to assuage the administration’s concerns over the violation of federal education regulations.
