Escalating standoff, White House sues California over transgender athletes

The Donald Trump administration on Wednesday launched a sweeping legal assault on California's policy of allowing transgender students to participate in school sports according to their gender identity, escalating an already high-stakes conflict between the federal government and the nation's most populous state.

In a lawsuit filed in the Central District of California, the US Department of Justice alleged that California's inclusive athletic policies violate Title IX, a federal civil rights law enacted in 1972 to prevent sex-based discrimination in federally funded education programs. The lawsuit claims the state's approach unfairly disadvantages cisgender female athletes and threatens to withhold billions of dollars in federal education funding.

"Title IX was enacted over half a century ago to protect women and girls from discrimination," said US Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon in a statement. "The Justice Department will not stand for policies that deprive girls of their hard-earned athletic trophies and ignore their safety."