California legislators reject two bills banning transgender women in female sports

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Two bills that would’ve banned transgender athletes in girls' and women’s sports were rejected on Tuesday in the state legislature. With Democrats holding the majority, both bills failed as committee members voted along party lines.

A local political analyst says this vote not only clarified how most voters in California feel, but it was also a message to President Trump about his agenda.

"This was framed, very much, as something being done in opposition to the Trump Dept. of Education," said Melissa Michelson, Menlo College Political Science professor. 

After Assembly Bills 89 and 844 were defeated on Tuesday, political analyst Melissa Michelson says Democrats are pushing back on President Trump’s educational agenda, which they say would abandon transgender rights, even with the threat of losing federal funding.

"For Democrats, they just see this as a win. They can position themselves as the party of opposition, blocking the Trump agenda. Also, being in community with transgender people," said Michelson.

What they're saying:

"In Nazi Germany, transgender people were persecuted and barred from public life," said Rick Chavez Zbur, Democratric Assembly member from Los Angeles. 

Tuesday morning in Sacramento, legislators debated the issue and listened to testimony for hours before taking a vote. Sophia Lorey, a spokesperson for the California Family Council, testified during the hearing and sent KTVU this statement, saying in part: 

"Today, they didn’t just kill a bill. They sent a message to every female athlete that her safety, privacy and fairness don’t matter," said Lorey.

Gov. Newsom also recently called having trans women in female sports ‘deeply unfair’ while on a podcast. Still, advocates for the gay and trans community believe the bills are a deflection from the issues Californians care most about.

"Dealing with rising healthcare costs, dealing with public safety concerns. Instead, they’re focusing on a statistically tiny number of students who just want to play sports alongside their teammates, just like any other kid would," said Tom Temprano, Managing Director for Equality California. 

What's next:

The California Family Council says this fight isn’t over. They plan to support another bill for girls’ rights in sports authored by Assembly member Shannon Grove and do what they can to get it to the Senate floor for a vote this year.

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