The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) allows boys nearly unrestricted freedom to play girls sports and change in girls’ locker rooms, a “gender diversity toolkit” for coaches reveals.
The only criteria? The male student must “most consistently express himself” as a girl (whatever that means).
It’s no secret CIF and the California Department of Education allow students to participate in sports consistent with their subjective “gender identity,” rather than their biological sex. The Department of Justice sued them for it last week, alleging the policy violates Title IX protections against sex discrimination in federally funded educational institutions and activities.
But the true extent of CIF’s “gender inclusion” policy is hidden in the “Gender Diverse Youth Sport Inclusivity Toolkit,” an online guide helping coaches integrate “transgender” and “nonbinary” players.
Thus far, the rules primarily apply to boys interested in joining girls teams.
Here’s what the Daily Citizen uncovered.
CIF does not require male athletes submit any proof of gender confusion to play in girls sports. The toolkit claims asking for such evidence not only violates “transgender” students’ privacy but levies “arbitrary and discriminatory” requirements against them.
The document references a policy brief from the California School Board Association (CSBA), which prohibits school officials from soliciting documentation of a student’s “gender-related identity” unless they have “credible information” indicating the identity is false.
The brief does not clarify what constitutes such information. In Lucia Mar Unified School District, two girls publicly alleged a male teammate acted inappropriately in the girls’ locker room.
He remains on the girls team.
The toolkit says students that switch “gender identities” may be allowed to participate on a girls team one semester and a boys team the next.
CIF’s “Philosophy of Gender Identity Participation,” as articulated in the toolkit, allows athletes to play on teams consistent with their gender identity or “the gender most consistently expressed.”
This addition, which is not included in CIF’s bylaws, allows students significant room to change their “gender identity.” The toolkit normalizes such changes, telling coaches:
One of the Frequently Asked Questions included in the toolkit asks how coaches should determine what sports league a “nonbinary” student should join.
In this case, CIF instructs coaches to allow the student to “select the gendered team on which they feel most comfortable participating.” The policy allows the student to consider factors like “established camaraderie with fellow athletes, personal safety and privacy concerns.”
CIF allows the student to change their “selected gender,” so long as the change “is a result of a deeper understanding of their gender identity.”
It’s unclear how coaches can make this determination without asking for documentation but, regardless, it’s not a hard and fast requirement. The toolkit reads:
The toolkit instructs coaches to accommodate students that ask for a private space to change. However, it stops coaches from assigning “transgender” students a separate changing area unless they ask for it.
“No student should be forced to use an all-gender facility such as a staff bathroom simply because they are trans or gender diverse,” it reads, calling such actions discriminatory.
The toolkit encourages coaches to mentally prepare girls to accept a male on their team and in their locker room in the name of sportsmanship.
“There is no need to wait for the arrival of a trans athlete to begin conversations with team members about the value of inclusion,” the toolkit reads, continuing:
In another section articulating CIF’s expectations of students, it associates accepting “transgender” athletes with “being gracious winners and losers,” “being a team player,” and “having a supportive and encouraging attitude towards yourself and others.”
“Communication of these expected practices are what builds the foundation for any unexpected situation, including the welcoming of a new trans teammate,” the toolkit concludes.
In this way, CIF enlists coaches in rewiring girls’ perceptions of their own physical boundaries. The University of Pennsylvania tried the same trick in 2022, when Lia — formerly Will —Thomas joined the women’s swim team.
When athletes like Paula Scanlon expressed discomfort changing in front of Thomas, UPenn officials allegedly offered them therapy to “become more comfortable sharing previously sex-segregated spaces with members of the opposite sex.”
Perhaps most alarmingly, CIF will not, as a rule, inform athletes and their parents when a boy joins a girls team unless he gives officials explicit permission.
This is consistent with the way CSBA instructs schools to “balance” a “transgender” student’s “right” to conceal their “gender identity” and other students’ right to privacy — just issue a blanket disclosure about the state’s “gender inclusion” policies at the beginning of each year.
CIF’s “Gender Diverse Youth Sport Inclusivity Toolkit” offers boys every incentive to assume a female or “nonbinary” “gender identity.” Meanwhile, female athletes have no guarantee of privacy or equal athletic opportunity, and no recourse in the event of sexual assault and harassment.
Unfortunately, CIF isn’t alone. Public school systems across the country are adopting similar policies, to the unmitigated detriment of students and families.
To learn more about problematic school policies in other states, click on the links below.
Additional Articles and Resources
DOJ Lawsuit Describes California Department of Education’s Infuriating Treatment of Girls
UPenn Will Strip ‘Lia’ Thomas of Medals, Apologize to Female Athletes
Yes, Girls Care When Boys Take Their Trophies
California Sues DOJ Over ‘Transgender’ Athlete Ban
Feds Pressure California After Boy Wins in Girls Track and Field Championship
Girls Sports Coaches are Incentivized to Recruit Men — Parents Shouldn’t Let Them
Department of Justice Launches Title IX Task Force to Protect Women’s Sports
Girls Shouldn’t Apologize for Protesting Boys in Girls Sports
Trump Signs Executive Order Protecting Women’s Sports and Spaces
President Trump: ‘There are Only Two Genders: Male and Female’