Federal government sues California over trans athletes — using SLO County as example
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- DOJ lawsuit targets California policies on trans athletes, citing SLO County case.
- Lucia Mar schools cited for allowing trans girls to compete on girls' sports teams.
- CIF and state refuse federal mandate; wait on court guidance for next steps.
The Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to prevent transgender students from competing in sports that align with their gender identity is heading to court — and using recent controversies in San Luis Obispo County as an example.
On Wednesday, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the California Interscholastic Federation and California Department of Education, claiming they violated Title IX by not restricting girls’ sports teams to exclusively cisgender girls.
The lawsuit was issued after the California Department of Education and CIF informed the Department of Justice that it would not comply with the federal Department of Education’s order to sign a resolution bringing state policy in line with the federal interpretation of Title IX within 10 calendar days of the June 25 order.
The issue of transgender students playing on the team that matches their gender has become a flashpoint in California politics over the past half decade, seeping from the playing field into school board meetings — including in San Luis Obispo County.
Earlier this year, Lucia Mar Unified School District board of education meetings descended into shouting matches, protests and counterprotests after cisgender Arroyo Grande High School track and field athlete Celeste Duyst shared a tearful testimony of her experience using the same locker room and sharing the field with a transgender student named Lily.
The Tribune is only using Lily’s first name in the interest of safety.
In the lawsuit, Lily’s participation in the Arroyo Grande girl’s track and field team was cited under “Student 3’s Displacement of Girl Athletes” as an example of alleged discrimination against cisgender athletes.
In a previous interview with The Tribune, Lily said she doesn’t believe that she’s asking for anything extraordinary when she strives to be included in the sport that she loves.
“... I wish that trans people were able to feel more comfortable and safe using the locker rooms and bathrooms and participating in sports ... and that we did not have to worry so much about every single thing that we do,” Lily said in May. “And I wish that we had legal protection that would protect us greater from hate crimes and discrimination.”
How will lawsuit affect trans student athletes?
In its case against the CIF and state Department of Education, the Department of Justice parroted the Trump administration’s stance that gender is immutably defined to only men and women, using male pronouns to refer to transgender female student athletes and calling them males or boys.
The Department of Justice also used recent comments made by Gov. Gavin Newsom to help make the case that transgender girls have natural physical advantages over their cisgender peers. In a March podcast alongside conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, Newsom characterized trans female athletes’ participation in girls’ sports as being “deeply unfair.”
“These discriminatory policies and practices ignore undeniable biological differences between boys and girls, in favor of an amorphous ‘gender identity,’” the lawsuit read. “The results of these illegal policies are stark: Girls are displaced from podiums, denied awards, and miss out on critical visibility for college scholarships and recognition.”
The lawsuit repeatedly claims that transgender girls have subjected their cisgender peers to risks of “sexual harassment, assault and voyeurism” by using the same locker rooms and restroom facilities.
In its lawsuit, the Department of Justice cited comments by Duyst made at an April 15 Lucia Mar school board meeting that claimed Lily “watched her undress” in the locker room — allegations that Lily and her family have denied.
In a previous interview with The Tribune, Lily said she minimizes the amount of time she spends around her fellow athletes in shared locker rooms for fear of being harassed or accused of invading other girls’ privacy.
“As a trans student, I have been threatened and harassed on a ... daily basis. My safety has been compromised multiple times, and yet, the students responsible rarely face the consequences due to deeply flawed district policies,” Lily told the Lucia Mar board.
“This is not just a policy issue. It’s matter of basic human rights,” she said.
When reached on Thursday, Lily and her family declined to comment on the new lawsuit on the advice of Equality California, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, her father Trevor told The Tribune.
The Tribune also reached out to Duyst and local “Save Girls Sports” organizer Shannon Kessler, who organized several protests at the Lucia Mar board meetings, but did not receive replies as of Friday afternoon.
How does lawsuit impact SLO County school policies?
As tensions surrounding trans athletes rose across San Luis Obispo County, the Lucia Mar school board denied a resolution that would deny trans students their right to participate in sports aligning with their gender.
A similar resolution was also discussed at a Paso Robles school board meeting in May but was never put on the agenda.
In an email, Lucia Mar director of marketing and communications Amy Jacobs said no parties involved in the lawsuit reached out to the district before the suit was filed.
“As the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) governs athletics in our schools, and compliance with CIF bylaws is necessary to ensure students at our schools will be allowed to participate in CIF sports this upcoming season and school year, the District will wait for further information and direction from CIF and the courts that may arise as a result of this issue,” Jacobs said in an email.
This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 2:28 PM.
