LOS ANGELES — Equality California released the following statement from Executive Director Tony Hoang in response to a transgender student-athlete participating in the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Track and Field Championship. Earlier this week, the Trump administration announced the Department of Justice was investigating the state and threatened to withhold federal funding from California over the participation of this athlete. The attack is part of a broader national effort to vilify transgender youth and undermine inclusive policies like those long upheld by the CIF:
“We could not be prouder of the way this brave student-athlete conducted herself on and off the track. She has consistently displayed more dignity, maturity, and grace than the many adults, from the President on down, who chose to attack and bully her to score political points. We appreciate that CIF took the necessary precautions to ensure her safety and the safety of everyone participating in the meet. We look forward to working with CIF in their ongoing process of determining how to continue to include and support transgender and all student athletes.”
“We could not be prouder of the way this brave student-athlete conducted herself on and off the track. She has consistently displayed more dignity, maturity, and grace than the many adults, from the President on down, who chose to attack and bully her to score political points.
We appreciate that CIF took the necessary precautions to ensure her safety and the safety of everyone participating in the meet. We look forward to working with CIF in their ongoing process of determining how to continue to include and support transgender and all student athletes.”
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
