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Former Minnesota Vikings and University of Minnesota football player Jack Brewer shared a grievance with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. 

The AG is waging a legal battle against President Donald Trump and the Department of Justice to ensure transgender athletes can continue participating in girls sports in the state. The state's ongoing defiance of Trump's executive order to keep girls sports female has resulted in a controversy involving a transgender pitcher who has dominated a girls softball season. 

"Clearly, Keith Ellison, the attorney general of Minnesota, has never played any major sports," Brewer told Fox News Digital. 

"It’s like he’s never stepped foot in a real locker room, especially not one where the sport demanded true athleticism, grit and toughness. It’s embarrassing to watch a Black man stand before the nation and promote boys competing against girls."

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The White House has responded to the lawsuit, condemning Ellison for taking legal action to enable trans inclusion. 

"Why would a grown man sue the Trump administration to allow other biological males to participate in women’s sports? This is creepy and anti-woman," White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told Fox News Digital. 

Brewer played four seasons for the Golden Gophers from 1998-2001, then started his NFL career with the Vikings in 2002. He also raised his children in the state. 

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

"The state has veered so far off course that it’s doing the exact opposite of what it once stood for. It used to be a national leader on Title IX and women’s rights. Now, it’s destroying women’s sports, degrading women and promoting situations where men are physically dominating women," Brewer said. 

"It’s heartbreaking for any former Gopher, any former Viking, any professional athlete who’s lived in that great city. It’s embarrassing. It’s shocking. And, to be honest, it’s just devastating." 

Reports of a trans softball pitcher winning 14 straight games heading into the playoffs and earning first-team All-State honors rocked the state in recent weeks. 

For Brewer, it is a difficult situation to witness as a Minnesota resident and former pro athlete. 

"In any sport — especially something like softball — people can get seriously hurt. A man hits the ball harder. A man throws the ball faster. So, the idea of allowing men to compete in women’s softball — especially now, when that sport has grown in visibility and opportunity — is insane," Brewer said. 

"Women’s softball is one of the fastest-growing sports in America. If every high school varsity baseball player decided to go play Division I women’s softball, there would be no women left on the field. Anyone who supports that agenda is either ignorant or pushing politics over people. 

"And that’s exactly what Keith Ellison is doing. They don’t care about the girls. They care about fundraising and staying in power, and they’re doing it at the expense of young athletes all across America.

"President Trump understands exactly what’s happening. He said it best. If you put a bunch of MLB players on a women’s softball team, they’d win the championship."

Ellison made the announcement of the lawsuit at a press conference after months of the state defying Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. Ellison claimed he received notice from the Department of Justice threatening legal action if the state did not follow the executive order. 

"I'm not going to sit around waiting for the Trump administration to sue Minnesota. Today, Minnesota is suing him and his administration because we will not participate in this shameful bullying," Ellison said. "We will not let a small group of vulnerable children who are only trying be healthy and live their lives be demonized." 

Ellison's lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, argues the Trump administration does not have the authority to set states' athletic gender eligibility policies through an executive order.

Minnesota is the first state to sue the Department of Justice over threats of funding cuts for allowing trans athletes to play in girls sports and the second state to sue the Trump administration over the issue. 

Maine filed a lawsuit against Trump after the Department of Agriculture cut funding to the state April 2, and a federal judge has already ruled the USDA must release the funding to Maine.

After Trump's executive order, the Minnesota State High School League announced it would defy federal law by allowing transgender athletes to continue playing in women's sports.

Ellison's office said "based on the plain language of the statute, educational institutions and the Minnesota State High School League would violate the MHRA by prohibiting transgender athletes from participating in extracurricular activities consistent with their gender identity."

Minnesota's state legislature failed to pass the Preserving Girls’ Sports Act in early March, which would have stated that "only female students may participate in an elementary or secondary school level athletic team or sport that an educational institution has restricted to women and girls."

A New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. 

Of the 2,128 people who participated, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports. Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democratic, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women. 

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EXCLUSIVE: President Donald Trump's administration is putting California and Governor Gavin Newsom on notice ahead of a controversial track and field postseason meet that will feature a biologically male trans athlete competing in the girls' category.

The U.S. Department of Education called out Newsom, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and Jurupa Valley High School over the upcoming meet and previous reporting that CIF officials made competitors at last Saturday's postseason event remove their "Protect Girls Sports" shirts throughout the day.

"CIF’s and Jurupa Valley High School’s apparent flouting of federal civil rights law by allowing a male athlete to compete in a female California track and field [Southern Sectional Division 3 Final] this Saturday, and the alleged retaliation against the girls who are protesting this, is indefensible," Julie Hartman, a Department of Education spokeswoman, told Fox News Digital.

The CIF is already under a federal Title IX investigation over the state's trans inclusion practices.

"California Governor Gavin Newsom, who in a startling moment of moral clarity, recently remarked that it was ‘deeply unfair’ for men to compete in women’s sports," Hartman continued. "Where is Governor Newsom now? With or without the Governor, the Trump Administration’s Department of Education’s commitment is unwavering: we will not allow institutions to trample upon women’s civil rights. OCR’s investigation into CIF continues with vigor."  

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California's high school sports league was one of the first in the nation to openly announce its defiance of President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. Now, the state is facing growing unrest from its own residents over the issue in addition to the federal investigation. 

A trans track and field athlete for Jurupa Valley High School will be competing in the high jump, triple jump and long jump after advancing in the prelims last Saturday. The athlete took a top-9 spot in those events, keeping three female athletes from advancing, while taking first in the triple jump. 

Brea Olinda student Julia Teven, 17, is one of the athletes set to face the trans competitor on Saturday. Teven is also one of the few female athletes to have beaten Jurupa Valley's athlete this year, tying for first place in the high jump at the prelims last Saturday, while the trans athlete finished eighth.

However, Teven also claimed she has seen the trans athlete jump much higher in social media posts, and acknowledges that the athlete could still beat her this upcoming Saturday, noting the scoring system of the final is different than the prelims.

"He could beat me, for this one he didn't, but looking forward he could," Teven said,

Still, Teven doesn't blame the athlete for the issue, she blames the institution allowing it. 

"I genuinely believe he doesn't have a harmful intent towards girls sports. I think it's the kind of like, CIF allowing him that's kind of put him in his position," Teven said. "I think genuinely, he's just, like, being enabled by the CIF, and he's just taking his opportunity presented to him."

Crean Lutheran student Reese Hogan, 16, also finished ahead of the trans athlete in high jump, at fifth place. But it was a different story during triple jump. 

The trans athlete dominated the event, winning by more than four feet over the runner-up. 

Hogan finished third, and would have placed one spot higher were it not for the trans athlete. 

"It's just kind of sad just watching. He's obviously a really talented athlete, we've all seen him jump and stuff, and I wish him the best of luck, but in a boys' division," Hogan said. "It's pretty obvious the certain advantages that he has, and it's obviously just sad as a woman to watch that." 

TEEN GIRLS OPEN UP ON TRANS ATHLETE SCANDAL THAT TURNED THEIR HIGH SCHOOL INTO A CULTURE WAR BATTLEGROUND

The competitors had to wait through an hours-long delay on Saturday to finish the competition after temperatures exceeded over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, putting the meet in a heat danger delay. 

The heated nature of the event extended into the temper's of the spectators. 

The meet was overshadowed by controversy and protest, as activists held a live press conference that saw students, parents and even public education officials bash the CIF and state government for allowing what was happening that day. 

The CIF has acknowledged that its officials made athletes at the meet take off the "Protect Girls Sports" shirts that they wore in protest, claiming it was due to standard apparel policy. 

"Per the CIF Southern Section Playoff Bulletin, all athletes must be dressed in proper, school issued, track uniforms. The student-athletes were asked to comply with this while in the on-field event area, as they were wearing said shirts over their school-issued uniform," the CIF said in a statement. 

However, witnesses allege that the officials did not give the same orders to athletes wearing non-school-issued gear that didn't include the "Protect Girls Sports" message. 

Footage on social media shows some spectators chanting "that's a boy!" at the athlete. But Hogan and fellow Crean Lutheran student Olivia Viola told Fox News digital that other fans only cheered for the trans athlete during the event while remaining silent for the female competitors. 

"I know it was like, really, really split, specifically, like when he was jumping, and it was like you could visibly see it, almost like it felt like half the stadium was, like, against it. And then there was like a little chunk of people over here that would, like, cheer really loudly for everything he did," Viola said. 

"It just was bothersome to me. It was a little bit sad to hear people cheering louder for the biological male competing in a female sport than the females competing in the female sports. That part was just a little bit, that part was saddening to me."

Viola, who will also compete against the trans athlete on Saturday, added that she also puts the blame on the CIF for hostile, conflicting crowds at the meet. 

"I think it's 100% on the people in authority who are allowing it to happen and not him, not this athlete. I don't want the protests to be turned against this athlete, I want it to be turned and I do think most of us want it to be turned against the people in authority and the adults who need to stand up for us and CIF," Viola said. 

Some public institutions in California already are standing up, including Hogan and Viola's school. 

Three California Christian schools have spoken out against the CIF over the situation. JSerra Catholic High School, Orange Lutheran High School and Crean Lutheran High School sent a joint letter to the CIF last week, calling out the issue that has erupted for religious schools this track and field season.

"CIF’s Gender Identity Policy also fosters an environment that is increasingly hostile to religious member schools. CIF’s expectation that all faith-based schools facilitate the CIF Gender Identity Policy puts religious schools in the untenable position of adhering to the tenets of their faith in their classrooms and communities but practicing something contrary to their faith on their athletic fields," the letter read.

California Family Council outreach director told Fox News Digital that parents plan to protest at the southern sectional final.

"As a former CIF and college athlete in California, I am beyond grateful and encouraged to finally see an administration that is boldly standing up for girls. The Trump administration’s willingness to call out the injustice happening at CIF and Jurupa High School is exactly what female athletes across this state have been waiting for," Lorey said. 

CALIFORNIA GIRL OPENS UP ON FIGHTING LEGAL AND POLITICAL BATTLE OVER TRANS ATHLETES AFTER LIFE-CHANGING PAIN

The Jurupa Unified School District provided a statement to Fox News Digital responding to the Department of Education's statement, defending its continued enabling of biological males in girls' sports. 

"JUSD continues to follow both California law and CIF policy regarding school athletics. Both state law and CIF policy currently require that students be permitted to participate in athletic teams and competitions consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records. JUSD remains committed to protecting the rights and safety of the students we serve, in accordance with applicable state and federal laws," the statement read.

California has been a minefield of controversial incidents involving trans athlete inclusion in girls' and women's sports for over a year, which has included multiple incidents involving volleyball teams, girls' basketball teams and girls' cross country. 

Some of the incidents have even prompted forfeits and even lawsuits. 

Newsom addressed the issue during an episode of his podcast in early March. 

"Well, I think it's an issue of fairness," Newsom said to conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. "I completely agree with you on that. It's deeply unfair.

"So that's easy to call out the unfairness of that. There's also a humility and a grace… these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression, and the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with as well.

"So both things I can hold in my hand. How can we address this issue with the kind of decency that I think you know is inherent in you, but not always expressed on the issue? 

"The question you're asking is the question we've been asking ourselves for months and haven't been able to answer. What is that line? How can you make this fair? I haven't been able to figure it out, and I'm about as transparent about this as anybody out there, especially in my party on this. To the extent someone can and do it in a way that's respectful and responsible and could find the kind of balance, then I'm open to that discussion."

Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office, and the CIF for comment.

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A legal firm and an activist group are pressuring the Indiana High School Athletics Association (IHSAA) board of directors, urging it to get rid of two DEI quotas for board members. 

The current criteria for the board's members includes a requirement for two female members and two members who are racial minorities. 

"The Board of Directors shall be comprised of nineteen board seats. Twelve board seats shall be filled by any qualified individual (open seats), and seven board seats shall be filled by Two (2) qualified female representatives, Two (2) qualified minorities," the policy states. 

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Now, the law firm, Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), and the activist group, Equal Protection Project (EPP), have sent a letter to the IHSAA board of directors, objecting to this criteria and demanding change.

"No one should be denied the opportunity to serve on a public board due to their race or sex. Our Constitution and civil rights law demand that individuals be judged on their character, qualifications, and achievements, not on characteristics they cannot control. IHSAA has a constitutional duty to treat all Board of Director nominees equally under the law," part of the letter reads. 

"Race- and sex-based quotas like those used by IHSAA perpetuate stereotypes, patronize the qualified, and undermine the ability of other qualified citizens to serve their communities. We strongly urge this Board to reconsider its use of these unconstitutional quotas."

Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Laura D’Agostino condemned the IHSAA's criteria. 

"Public boards should reflect the talents and commitment of all citizens, not arbitrary categories of race or sex. Every individual who wants to step up and serve their community should be encouraged to do so based on what they bring to the table, not held back because of who they are," D'Agostino told Fox News Digital. 

PLF and EPP ended the letter by providing a deadline of May 30 for the IHSAA to respond with an agreement to remove those two requirements for its board of directors. 

TRUMP TO PRESIDE OVER HISTORIC SPORTING EVENTS — WHICH TEAMS AND STARS COULD SKIP WHITE HOUSE VISITS?

EPP founder William A. Jacobson suggested further legal steps could be taken if the deadline passes with no agreement. 

"We hope that IHSAA will do the right thing and voluntarily remedy the discriminatory bylaws provisions, but if it does not, all legal options are on the table," Jacobson told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the IHSAA for comment. 

Recent executive orders by President Donald Trump have targeted DEI in both public institutions and the private sector, and many states have passed their own laws to prohibit DEI quotas in taxpayer-funded organizations. 

Trump's day one executive order, which the GSA is aligning its actions with, directed the federal contracting process to "be streamlined to enhance speed and efficiency, reduce costs, and require Federal contractors and subcontractors to comply with our civil-rights laws." 

The order also commanded the Office of Federal Contract Compliance to "immediately cease" promoting "diversity" and any encouragement of federal contractors and subcontractors to engage in affirmative action-like efforts that consider race, color, sex, sexual preference, religion or national origin when making hiring decisions.

Meanwhile, in Indiana, a state bill authored by Republican Sens. Tyler Johnson and Gary Byrne to outlaw "discrimination" in state education, public employment and licensing settings that is "based on a personal characteristic of the person," was signed by Gov. Mike Braun on May 1.

Braun signed an executive order in January to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion in all state agencies and replace it with what he calls "MEI" – merit, excellence and innovation.

Under that executive order, government offices cannot use state funds, property or resources to support DEI initiatives or require job candidates to issue DEI statements.

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A four-woman squad of Presque Isle High School student athletes helped lead a march on Maine's state Capitol building in Augusta last week. 

They went to spar with state legislature Democrats over three bills that would ban biological males from girls' sports – an issue that has sent their state and sports seasons spiraling into chaos in 2025. 

For three of them, it was their first political rally, and they were taking center stage. They had to wade through pro-transgender counter-protesters outside the building, and dismissive liberal lawmakers inside it. 

"It was a little intimidating knowing they don't have the same beliefs as us," Hailey Himes, a first-time protester, told Fox News Digital. 

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But Himes said she realized she had to join the fight to protect girls' sports from trans athletes when her English teacher assigned her an essay on the subject on March 12. 

Just one month before that, Himes and other female athletes witnessed the pole vault jump that plunged their state into a national conflict, when a trans athlete won first place in girls' pole vault for Greely High School in early February. 

"I watched this male pole vaulter stand on the podium and we were all just like looking we were like ‘We’re pretty sure that's not a girl. There's no way that's a girl,'" Himes said. "It was really discouraging, especially for the girls on the podium not in first place. So that motivated me to fight for them." 

So Himes, along with her track and field teammates Lucy Cheney and Carrlyn Buck, marched on Augusta, following the lead of fellow Presque Isle track athlete Cassidy Carlisle, who has already taken part in two marches in Augusta and trips to Washington, D.C., to meet with GOP leaders on the issue.

The group had gained plenty of experience in dealing with controversies involving trans athlete, close to home for years together. Years earlier, the girls saw their high school rocked by a situation involving a trans athlete, when a biological male joined the girls' tennis team. 

"We all heard of it from friends and none of us do tennis so it was just kind of a word of mouth kind of thing," Cheney said. "At that point we couldn't really do anything about it because the administration agreed to let them play so we really just had to accept it, and really no one else on the team really wanted to accept it, but they had to."

All four girls added that it quickly became one of the most-discussed topics in Presque Isle High School when it first happened, and it continued throughout the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years, before the trans athlete graduated last summer.

Now, this year, they've all had to compete under the shadow of a national conflict between their state and President Donald Trump because Gov. Janet Mills and the Democratic majority have committed to keeping trans athletes in girls' sports. 

Mills' stance risks costing the state's high schools federal funding, while leaving Carlisle, Himes, Cheney, Buck and their teammates facing the anxiety of competing against trans athletes in the state's track and field playoffs.

MAINE ROCKED BY TRANS ATHLETE DOMINANCE AT GIRLS' TRACK MEET AMID ONGOING LEGAL CONFLICT WITH TRUMP

When the four teens got into the Capitol on Thursday, they came face to face with the individuals who were fighting to keep trans athletes in their sports. The Maine legislature's Democratic majority has been actively and aggressively resisting the Trump administration for months over the president's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. 

But now three Republican-backed bills – LD 868, LD 233 and LD 1134 – were on their own floor to reverse its policy, and over a dozen Maine high school girls' athletes were there to fight the Democrats for it. 

"They definitely asked a lot less questions to the people who they didn't agree with than the people who they did agree with, and you could tell they did not feel as compassionate," Cheney said of the Democratic leaders. 

"They got emotional just when [pro-trans speakers] were sharing, and it seemed like they really cared for them, and they wanted to support them, and it didn't feel as much as they wanted to hear our side." 

Buck said that when the Democrats did come to them with questions, they seemed "hostile." 

"They just seemed more hostile toward our testimonies when they did ask questions," Buck said. "It felt like a lot of questions were being pestering." 

Still, the teens made sure to let everyone in the chamber know what it was they were dealing with, as the trans athletes competing in Maine's track and field playoffs threaten to upend their entire season.

A trans-identifying athlete who competed for North Yarmouth Academy in Yarmouth, Maine, recently dominated the girls' 800-meter and 1600-meter events at the Poland-NYA-Yarmouth-Seacoast meet, prompting national outrage.

"For my teammates, and some of my best friends on the team that are in the events with [the trans athletes], it's really unfortunate for them, and just our team as a whole because those points will impact our team ranking," Himes said, adding that another local girl suggested her parents won't allow her to compete in the same event with a trans athlete. 

Buck added, "It's not just about the points, it's also that our teammates are going to feel discouraged when placed in an event against them because they're going in already knowing that the outcome is decided, with playing against a biological male who is biologically stronger than them, so they have no chance." 

Carlisle is already very familiar with that feeling of defeat, having lost to the same athlete who dominated the Poland-NYA-Yarmouth-Seacoast meet in past running and skiing competitions, dating back to 2023. On top of that, she first had to experience changing in the same locker room with a male in seventh grade when a trans student was in her gym class. 

MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE'S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREER

But even now, as an ascending crusader against trans inclusion in girls' sports, having attended marches, meetings of GOP attorneys general and even a Department of Justice press conference announcing a lawsuit against Maine over the issue, she says she still has a friend who is transgender. 

"I communicate with them almost on the daily, we never have negative interactions," Carlisle said. "For people that want to say we're not accepting, that's not the problem. We don't have a problem in general with trans people. We have a problem when it starts to impact our lives." 

Carlisle has saved her resentment, not for trans people, or even the trans athletes, but for Mills. 

"She is directly looking at us and saying ‘I don’t care about you,'" Carlisle said. "When I vote next time, I'll absolutely take that into consideration." 

All four teens plan on making regular trips to the state Capitol to lobby on behalf of LD 868, LD 233, and LD 1134 until they are signed into law, as they seek to keep males out of their sports, and keep federal funding going to their schools. 

"Our schools need federal funding," Carlisle said. "So for [Mills], now she's not just looking at Maine girl athletes and saying ‘I don’t really care about you.' She's looking at students in Maine and saying ‘I don’t care about you and I don't care if your school gets funding, because I'm going to pick a fight that really doesn't need to be picked.'" 

The DOJ has accused the state of "openly and defiantly flouting federal anti-discrimination law by enforcing policies that require girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions designated exclusively for girls," according to a complaint obtained by Fox News Digital.

Mills, the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Principals' Association have held firmly in support of continuing to enable trans inclusion in girls' sports across the state, citing the Maine Human Rights Act as the precedent for determining gender eligibility. 

Meanwhile, two Maine school districts have already taken matters into their own hands, as MSAD No. 70 and RSU No. 24 have each moved to amend their own policies to keep trans athletes out of girls' sports. 

And in addition to those school districts and young women like Carlisle, Buck, Himes and Cheyney, Mills and the Democrats may ultimately end up facing more internal resistance than external. 

A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said that school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it is "only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women."

The poll also found that 60% of residents would support a ballot measure limiting participation in women’s and girls' sports to biological females. This included 64% of independents and 66% of parents with kids under age 18.

But so far, the governor has remained firm in opposing Trump on the issue, even at the cost of taxpayer-funded legal fees. 

"I’m happy to go to court and litigate the issues that are being raised in this court complaint," Mills told reporters in April.

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A girls' track meet in California was turned into a political rally on Saturday amid a growing controversy over a trans athlete who has dominated in the girls' high-jump, long-jump and triple-jump this season. 

The rally came less than two days after three of the state's esteemed Christian high schools sent a letter to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) challenging its longstanding policy that allows biological males in girls' sports. 

JSerra Catholic High School, Orange Lutheran High School and Crean Lutheran High School sent a joint letter to the CIF Thursday, referencing the trans athlete who competed in Saturday's state semifinal prelims. 

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"For young women, CIF’s Gender Identity Policy means lost opportunities and an unlevel playing field. The consequences of this Policy will be felt this weekend as CIF’s state semi-final competitions for track and field events take place. Star female athletes, some of whom attend our schools, will soon compete in multiple track and field events against a male athlete who self-identifies as a female," the letter read. 

"CIF’s Gender Identity Policy also fosters an environment that is increasingly hostile to religious member schools. CIF’s expectation that all faith-based schools facilitate the CIF Gender Identity Policy puts religious schools in the untenable position of adhering to the tenets of their faith in their classrooms and communities but practicing something contrary to their faith on their athletic fields." 

The letter went on to suggest that some of the female athletes competing for the three Christian schools considered not competing against the trans athlete in Saturday's semifinal prelims. 

And then prior to Saturday's meet at Yorba Linda High School, multiple girls' athletes, parents and school officials spoke at a press conference organized by California Family Council outreach director Sophia Lorey. 

"No matter how hard we train, how many hours we put in, reality will always set in that men and women are different," said Olivia Viola of Crean Lutheran. "To me, this just doesn't seem fair. CIF is doing nothing to protect us female athletes." 

The CIF is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls' sports, and potential Title IX violations. 

CALIFORNIA GIRL OPENS UP ON FIGHTING LEGAL AND POLITICAL BATTLE OVER TRANS ATHLETES AFTER LIFE-CHANGING PAIN

California was one of the first states to openly defy President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order after he signed it on Feb. 5. 

"The CIF provides students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete in education-based experiences in compliance with California law [Education Code section 221.5. (f)] which permits students to participate in school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, consistent with the student’s gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the student’s records," the CIF previously said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

California Governor Gavin Newsom said during an episode of his podcast that he believes trans athletes competing with girls is "deeply unfair." But the governor still defended policies that enable it for the sake of empathy for the trans community, while suggesting he is "open to discussion" about the issue. 

"Well, I think it's an issue of fairness," Newsom said to conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. "I completely agree with you on that. It's deeply unfair.

"So that's easy to call out the unfairness of that. There's also a humility and a grace… these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression, and the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with as well.

"So both things I can hold in my hand. How can we address this issue with the kind of decency that I think you know is inherent in you, but not always expressed on the issue? 

"The question you're asking is the question we've been asking ourselves for months and haven't been able to answer. What is that line? How can you make this fair? I haven't been able to figure it out, and I'm about as transparent about this as anybody out there, especially in my party on this. To the extent someone can and do it in a way that's respectful and responsible and could find the kind of balance, then I'm open to that discussion."

The state has seen multiple controversies erupt over the past year regarding the issue, and many other residents and even some schools are taking stands against the state officials enforcing the inclusion policies. 

The Redlands Unified school board in San Bernardino voted in late April to adopt a new policy that would keep transgender athletes out of girls’ sports. 

A bipartisan survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that the majority of California residents oppose biological male trans athletes competing in women's sports. 

That figure included more than 70% of the state's school parents.

"Most Californians support requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams matching the sex they were assigned at birth," the poll stated. 

"Solid majorities of adults (65%) and likely voters (64%) support requiring that transgender athletes compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with. An overwhelming majority of public school parents (71%) support such a requirement."

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Maine state Rep. Laurel Libby is seeking U.S. Supreme Court intervention in her lawsuit to overturn her censure for a social media post that identified a minor trans athlete. Now, the Democrat defendants have filed their response to the high court. 

The defendants, Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau and House Clerk Robert Hunt, represented by Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey, defended the decision to censure Libby for the February post in their response on Thursday afternoon. 

"Like other censures of Maine House members, the censure resolution required Rep. Libby to apologize for her conduct—not recant her views. Rep. Libby has steadfastly refused to comply with this modest punishment, which is designed to restore the integrity and reputation of the body," the response read. 

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"Her refusal places her in breach of a centuries-old rule of the Maine House, Rule 401(11), that Rep. Libby previously agreed, along with all of her House colleagues, would govern House proceedings. Rule 401(11) provides that a member found by the body to be in breach of its rules may not participate in floor debates or vote on matters before the full House until they have 'made satisfaction,' i.e., here, apologized for their breach."

Libby provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the response. 

"I was elected to represent the people of my district and defend their rights. I spoke up to defend the rights of women and girls—who are being discriminated against and silenced under policies that allow biological males to compete in female sports. For that, I’ve been targeted and punished, not for misconduct, but for refusing to issue a forced apology. The First Amendment protects my right to speak—and just as importantly, my right not to be compelled to say something I do not believe," she said. 

When the Democrat majority in Maine's House of Representatives voted to censure Libby on Feb. 25, it originally offered to restore her voting and speaking rights if she apologized for the post. But Libby told them she wouldn't apologize.  

Libby previously told Fox News Digital that Fecteau called her the day after she made the social media post, which identified a trans athlete who won a girls' pole vault competition, on Feb. 18. 

"He found it objectionable and asked me to take it down. At the same time, I asked him if he would support Maine girls and support policy that stopped discrimination against Maine young women in sports, and he declined to answer," Libby said. 

"The main criticism all along from the Democrats is that it was a picture of a minor." 

Libby added that no one from the trans athlete's family or high school reached out to her about the post. She has also argued the athlete was already publicized in other media. The Portland Press Herald published a recap of the event, mentioning the athlete. 

MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE'S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREER

Libby filed her lawsuit against Fecteau to have the censure overturned on March 11.

But Rhode Island U.S. District Court Judge Melissa DuBose ruled against Libby in her case on April 22. DuBose, appointed by former President Joe Biden in January, ended up presiding over the case after every district judge in Maine refused to take it.

Judges John C. Nivison, John A. Woodcock, Lance E. Walker, Karen F. Wolf, Stacey D. Neumann and Nancy Torresen signed recusal orders shortly after the case was initially filed. No reason was given.

DuBose ended up with the case and ruled in favor of Fecteau. Then the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals also ruled against Libby.

So now Libby is seeking U.S. Supreme Court intervention. 

Meanwhile, the U.S. Justice Department announced a lawsuit against the State of Maine for its continued defiance of Trump’s executive order to keep biological males out of girls’ and women’s sports and for violations of Title IX. Libby attended the press conference alongside Attorney General Pam Bondi and Department of Education Secretary Linda McMahon. 

Two school districts in Maine, Maine's Regional School Unit No. 24 and MSAD No. 70, have taken matters into their own hands and amended their local sports gender eligibility policies to ban transgender athletes from girls' competitions, aligning with Libby and Trump.

Attention to the issue was magnified this past week after a trans athlete won multiple events at a girls' track meet. 

A trans-identifying athlete who competed for North Yarmouth Academy in Yarmouth, Maine, in the Poland-NYA-Yarmouth-Seacoast meet, won the 1600-meter race with a time of 5:57.27, blowing away the second-place runner who finished with a time of 6:16.32. In the 800-meter event, the trans athlete had a closer first-place finish with a time of 2:43.31, just around a second better than the second-place finisher with a time of 2:44.87.  

A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it is "only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women."

The poll also found that 60% of residents would support a ballot measure limiting participation in women’s and girls' sports to biological females. This included 64% of independents and 66% of parents with kids under age 18.

Fox News' Shannon Bream and William Mears contributed to this report.

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Another Maine school district has taken matters into its own hands in the state's dispute over transgender athletes in girls sports. 

On Tuesday, the board of directors for Maine's Region School Unit (RSU) No. 24 voted 7-1 to rescind a policy that allows trans athletes to compete in girls sports. 

The rescinded policy, Policy JB, stated that "students shall be able to participate in accordance with the gender identity asserted at school."

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RSU No. 24 Superintendent Michael Eastman confirmed to Fox News Digital that the district and its schools will stop following the policy immediately. 

"At its meeting last night, after respectful deliberation, the RSU No. 24 Board of Directors voted 7-1 (one director was absent) to rescind Policy JB — Transgender and Gender-Expansive Students," Eastman said. "This change will take place immediately. We appreciate the turnout last evening and thank those residents who addressed the board with their thoughts regarding the policy."

MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE'S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREER

RSU No. 24 operates five public schools in Sullivan, Maine. Hancock county, where Sullivan is located, voted in favor of Donald Trump in November's election by a margin of 52.9% to 45.3%. 

Eastman's district is not the first to amend a gender eligibility policy in recent weeks. 

The MSAD No. 70 School Board voted unanimously in mid-April to comply with Title IX, "recognizing only two sexes — biological male and biological female — and that all private spaces be separated by biological sex."

MSAD No. 70 Superintendent Tyler Putnam told Fox News Digital that, due to this vote, he is now directed to amend the district's policies to prevent trans athletes from competing in girls sports. 

"The motion directs me to rewrite our policies to adhere to the motion," Putnam said. "It is my interpretation that the school board will be looking to approve policies that align biological sex to their specific athletic teams too, i.e. biological males will be playing with only other biological males and the same for biological females. These policies will need to be approved by the policy committee and the board once rewritten."

Maine is being sued by the Department of Justice for failing to come to an agreement to comply with Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order. Maine has loosely allowed trans athletes to compete with girls since 2005, when the Maine Human Rights Act prohibited discrimination based on gender identity. 

The Maine Principals' Association (MPA) updated its policies in 2024 to explicitly allow transgender students to compete on teams matching their gender identity. 

The state, particularly its Democratic leadership led by Gov. Janet Mills, is doubling down to defy Trump and protect its trans athletes' rights to compete against girls and share girls locker rooms. 

Many residents, and now school districts, have taken steps to oppose Mills. There have been multiple protests across the state, including two at the state Capitol in August, by activists looking to protect girls from trans competitors. 

Attention to the issue was magnified this past week after a trans athlete won multiple events at a girls track meet. 

A trans-identifying athlete who competed for North Yarmouth Academy in Yarmouth, Maine, at the Poland-NYA-Yarmouth-Seacoast meet, won the 1600-meter with a time of 5:57.27, blowing away the second-place runner who finished with a time of 6:16.32. In the 800-meter, the trans athlete had a closer first-place finish with a time of 2:43.31, just around a second better than the second-place finisher with a time of 2:44.87.  

In October 2023, Fox News Digital reported that this athlete was transgender.

A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said that school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it is "only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women."

The poll also found that 60% of residents would support a ballot measure limiting participation in women’s and girls sports to biological females. This included 64% of independents and 66% of parents with kids under age 18.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
 

A girls' track meet in Maine became the subject of widespread controversy after a trans athlete dominated multiple running events. The incident took place as the state faces internal and federal pressure to keep trans athletes out of girls' sports, and a lawsuit over the issue from President Donald Trump's administration.

A trans-identifying athlete who competed for North Yarmouth Academy in Yarmouth, Maine, won the girls' 800-meter and 1600-meter events. In October 2023, Fox News Digital reported that this athlete was transgender. Fox News Digital has reached out to North Yarmouth Academy for comment. 

The athlete has been making national headlines in Maine dating back to that month after jumping to 4th place in the 5k division in the girls' category after previously finishing 172nd among boys. The athlete again made national headlines for competing in Nordic skiing and taking a podium spot in Maine's High School State Nordic Skiing Championships this past February. 

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On Friday at the POLAND-NYA-YARMOUTH-SEACOAST meet, the athlete won the 1600-meter with a time of 5:57.27, blowing away the second-place runner who finished with a time of 6:16.32. In the 800m, the trans athlete etched out a closer first-place finish with a time of 2:43.31, just around a second better than the second-place finisher with a time of 2:44.87. 

Local high school sports photographer David Young, owner of Maine Running Photography, was there to shoot the meet.

"He blew away all the girls in that particular race [the 1600m], there wasn't anybody near him, easily won it." Young told Fox News Digital. "In the 800m, it was a one-second difference, the girl tried very hard to catch him." 

Young added that there had been multiple spectators at the meet to cheer the trans athlete on, but no audible protests. 

"There were a few people there who yelled out his name, he's pretty well known," Young said. 

Young said his 2023 photos of the athlete went so viral on Facebook, and prompted so much backlash, that he ended up removing those photos because of the overwhelming response.

"It was getting too nasty," Young said. 

"Not only was I getting it from the people who were for transgenders, I was getting it from people who were anti-transgenders. And I didn't know what to do, and somebody finally said, ‘Well, if you just remove the photo, the debate will go away.’ So, I removed the photo, and the debate went away." 

However, Young said he plans to post his most recent photos of the athlete on his Facebook page anyway, even after what happened last time. 

Many of Young's past photos of the athlete have gone viral on social media in the aftermath of the athlete's latest victory. Maine residents, politicians and even national pundits have posted media including the athlete and prompted national debate and awareness for the meet as Maine faces an ongoing internal and federal conflict over the issue. 

"Today a biological male won the 800 & 1600 in the girls division at a Maine track meet. Every girl who placed 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and further in those races was pushed aside so a boy could ‘win.’ This is NOT fair. Our girls deserve a fair, safe, and level playing field," State representative Laurel Libby wrote on X.

Libby previously made a Facebook post that identified a different trans athlete who won a girls' pole-vaulting competition. Libby was censured for the post by the legislature's Democrat majority and is currently involved in a lawsuit over the issue. 

California conservative activist Beth Bourne drew widespread national attention to the issue by posting footage of the competition on X. 

The women's activist athletics wear brand XX-XY Athletics even turned footage of the competition into an ad. 

One of the Maine female athletes who had to compete against the trans athlete in Nordic skiing previously told Fox News Digital about the sense of defeat that came with losing to the athlete.

MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE'S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREER

"The defeat that comes with that in that moment is heartbreaking," Carlisle said. "I'm just in shock in a way. I didn't believe it. . . . I didn't think it was happening to me."

The U.S. Department of Justice announced a lawsuit against the state of Maine for its continued defiance of Trump’s executive order to keep biological males out of girls and women’s sports and alleged violations of Title IX. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the lawsuit at a press conference April 16.

Bondi said she was seeking an injunction and to have titles returned to the girls who "rightfully" won competitions in which trans athletes participated.

The Department of Justice accused the state of "openly and defiantly flouting federal anti-discrimination law by enforcing policies that require girls to compete against boys in athletic competitions designated exclusively for girls," according to a complaint obtained by Fox News.

Meanwhile, Governor Janet Mills, the Maine Department of Education and the Maine Principal's Association has held firmly in support of continuing to enable trans inclusion in girls' sports across the state, citing the Maine Human Rights Act as the precedent for determining gender eligibility. 

"I’m happy to go to court and litigate the issues that are being raised in this court complaint," Mills told reporters in April.

A survey by the American Parents Coalition found that out of about 600 registered Maine voters, 63% said that school sports participation should be based on biological sex, and 66% agreed it is "only fair to restrict women’s sports to biological women."

The poll also found that 60% of residents would support a ballot measure limiting participation in women’s and girls' sports to biological females. This included 64% of independents and 66% of parents with kids under age 18.

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President Donald Trump stirred the hearts of the University of Alabama graduates when he reaffirmed his promise to "keep men out of women's sports."

During a commencement speech at the university's graduation ceremony on Thursday night, Trump gave a shoutout to the school's SEC champion women's track and field team before igniting a raucous applause by "vowing to defend women's sports."

"As long as I'm president, we will always protect women's sports. Men will not play in women's sports," Trump said before the crowd erupted in cheers for its loudest and longest applause of the night.

"No way. They say it's an 80-20 issue. No, it's a 97-3 issue, I think," Trump said. "No, men will not be playing in women's sports. I said that, and I classified it with a very powerful executive order, as you know. It's done." 

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Later in the speech, Trump circled back to the subject, mocking Democrats for allowing trans athletes in women's sports and trans athletes themselves in a lengthy rant. 

During this section of the speech, Trump also discussed the Paris Olympics women's boxing competitions, which included two gold medalists who were previously disqualified from international competitions for failing gender eligibility tests. However, neither boxer, Algeria's Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, identifies as transgender.

"They had a great champion, a female boxer, and after one punch she walked back to the corner and said, ‘I can’t get hit like that, I've never been hit like that before," Trump said.

At one point, Trump did a physical impersonation of a female weight lifter and a trans weight lifter, and reenacted a scenario where the female loses a competition to a trans opponent. 

Then Trump took aim at transgender swimmers, telling the story of a swimmer who he joked was "windburned" by a trans opponent. 

"One young lady, she was going to set the record, she fought all her life to set the record," Trump said. "Then she looks to the right, and she sees the same thing, but there's a person next to her who's a giant … that was a person that transitioned, and he had the wingspan of Wilt ‘the Stilt’ Chamberlain."

Trump made similar references to the weightlifting and swimmer scenarios in June 2023 while speaking at the North Carolina Republican Party Convention in Greensboro.

On Thursday, Trump also referenced female volleyball players who have been affected by trans inclusion. 

"You look at all the volleyball players who have been hurt so badly, that are hit at levels that they've never seen before," Trump said. 

One former University of Alabama women's volleyball player, Brooke Slusser, was thrust into a situation where she had to share a locker room and bedroom with a trans athlete when she transferred from the university to San Jose State University in 2023. In a lawsuit, Slusser alleges she was made to share those spaces with trans teammate Blaire Fleming without being told Fleming was a biological male.

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

Slusser has since left San Jose State University and returned home to Texas after facing alleged backlash and harassment in the aftermath of filing her lawsuit.

Trump signed the Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports executive order on Feb. 5. One day later, the NCAA revised its gender eligibility policy to restrict participation in the women's category to only biological females. However, the new policy has also come under criticism by some women's sports activists for not going far enough. 

Alabama has had a state law in place since 2021 to prevent trans athletes in girls' sports. In 2023, it was extended to include college students. Unlike other laws addressing the issue, Alabama's law also bars athletes assigned as female at birth from participating in the boys' category unless there is no comparable girls' opportunity (such as football).

Trans inclusion in women's and girls' sports emerged as a hot-button issue in Trump's 2024 election victory as most Americans came to take the Republican's side on the topic. 

A national exit poll conducted by the Concerned Women for America legislative action committee found that 70% of moderate voters saw the issue of "Donald Trump’s opposition to transgender boys and men playing girls' and women’s sports and of transgender boys and men using girls' and women’s bathrooms" as important to them.

Six percent said it was the most important issue of all, while 44% said it was "very important."

The issue inspired a national counterculture movement against Democrat policies that keep trans athletes in women's sports, heavily influenced by young college-educated women. Biden’s 35-point lead over Trump among young women in the 2020 presidential election cycle shrank to a 24-point margin for Trump's 2024 opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, per an NBC News exit poll. 

A New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don't think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women's sports. 

Of the 2,128 people who participated, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women's sports. Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women. 

Nearly 70% of Americans say biological men should not be permitted to compete in women's sports, according to a Gallup poll last year.

In June 2024, a survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago asked respondents whether transgender athletes of both sexes should be permitted to participate in sports leagues that correspond to their preferred gender identity instead of their biological sex. In that survey, 65% answered that it should never or rarely be allowed. When those polled were asked specifically about adult transgender female athletes competing in women’s sports, 69% opposed it.

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President Donald Trump's newly formed Title IX investigative team has been called upon in the state of Washington. 

Department of Education (DOE) Secretary Linda McMahon announced Wednesday the team will be launching an investigation into Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal's office. 

The team, a joint initiative by the DOE and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), is taking action in response to Reykdal requiring schools to allow biologically male trans athletes on girls sports teams. 

"Multiple Washington state school districts have reported that OSPI is requiring school boards to adopt policies that allow males to participate in female sports and occupy female-only intimate facilities, thereby raising substantial Title IX concerns," the announcement said. 

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McMahon issued a warning to Reykdal and the rest of the Democrat-controlled state.

"Washington state appears to use its position of authority to coerce its districts into hiding ‘gender identity’ information from students’ parents and to adopt policies to covertly smuggle gender ideology into the classroom, confusing students and letting boys into girls sports, bathrooms and locker rooms," McMahon said.

"If true, these are clear violations of parental rights and female equality in athletics, which are protected by federal laws that will be enforced by the Trump administration." 

Reykdal provided a statement to Fox News Digital and did not indicate his office would cooperate with the federal investigation. 

"My job as the leader of this constitutional office is to communicate, uphold and enforce the law," Reykdal said. "My office will enforce our current laws as we are required to do until Congress changes the law and/or federal courts invalidate Washington state’s laws. Unless, and until that happens, we will be following Washington state’s laws, not a president’s political leanings expressed through unlawful orders." 

Reykdal spoke in defense of transgender athletes in girls sports in an address Feb. 20, claiming it was "inaccurate" to say there are only two genders. 

"It is quite simply inaccurate to say, biologically, that there are only boys and there are only girls," Reykdal said on camera. "There's a continuum. There's a science to this. There are children who are born intersex. There are children whose hormones and whose chromosomes are not consistent with their sex at birth." 

STATE EDUCATION CHIEF SAYS IT'S ‘INACCURATE’ TO SAY THERE ARE ONLY TWO GENDERS, IN DEFENSE OF TRANS ATHLETES

Washington's high school athletes are allowed to compete based on their gender identity rather than their biological sex. Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) policy states that each athlete will participate in programs "consistent with their gender identity or the gender most consistently expressed," and there are no medical or legal requirements. 

Bills that would prohibit transgender girls from participating in girls and women's sports have been introduced but not passed.

The Kennewick School Board filed a Title IX complaint with the DOE's Office of Civil Rights against Reykdal's office in late March over the issue. 

Kennewick School Board President Gabe Galbraith previously told Fox News the district is seeking federal intervention to ensure the order will eventually be honored.

SCHOOL BOARD PLEADS WITH TRUMP ADMIN TO FORCE STATE BAN ON TRANSGENDERS IN GIRLS SPORTS AS DEMOCRATS REFUSE

"There's boys participating in girls sports. There's boys in girls locker rooms. It's unfair. It's not safe, and we're asking the federal government to just step in and put an end to this and ensure that the state is following President Trump's statements," he said.

Other school districts have taken a stand against Reykdal since President Trump signed his "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order Feb. 5. 

The Tumwater School District's board of directors voted later that month to ban trans girls from playing for girls sports teams. The resolution passed by a vote of 3-1 after a civil rights complaint was filed against the district over an incident involving a trans athlete in a girls basketball game. 

The complaint alleged that the Tumwater School District in Washington is investigating 15-year-old Frances Staudt for "misgendering" the opponent and violating the district's policies against bullying and harassment Feb. 7. 

According to the document, Staudt asked the school's principal and athletic director before the game whether the player was a biological male. The administrators then allegedly confirmed that they had been notified that the player was transgender but denied her pleas to have the player removed.

However, the DOE OCR announced an investigation into Tumwater School District just days later. 

Now, the Trump administration is going further up the chain of command in the state, and taking aim at the superintendent. 

In addition to reports that Washington schools are allowing trans athletes in girls sports, the DOE cited in its announcement Wednesday that La Center School District in La Center, Washington, received a letter of finding indicating Reykdal was requiring districts to enact policies, such as mandating that districts not notify parents of a change in their child’s "gender identity,"

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