Newsom office source responds to planned protest against trans athlete at state playoff girls’ track meet
The upcoming California high school girls track and field playoffs are set to feature a trans athlete from Jurupa Valley High School (JVHS).
A protest, organized by former NCAA women’s soccer player Sophia Lorey, will be held Saturday at the site of the Southern California Interscholastic Section Division 3 preliminaries. Lorey, a prominent Save Girls’ Sports activist in the state, organized a similar protest at the same round last year, drawing national attention to the state’s playoffs. The issue eventually caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who, in a Truth Social article, criticized Gov. Gavin Newsom for his state’s continued policy of allowing biological males to compete in women’s sports.
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Fox News Digital asked Newsom’s press office for a response to the upcoming protest and competition involving the trans athlete.
A source from the governor’s office provided a statement to Fox News Digital in response.
“The governor said discussions on this issue should be guided by fairness, dignity and respect. He rejects the right’s cynical attempt to use this debate as a weapon to vilify individual children. The governor’s position is simple: stand with all children and stand up to bullies,” the statement read.
“California is one of 22 states that have laws requiring students to be allowed to participate in sex-segregated school sports consistent with their gender identity. California passed this law in 2013 (AB 1266) and it was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the trans athlete’s school district, Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD), for a response.
Trump’s Justice Department is engaged in Title IX lawsuits against educational agencies in California over its policies allowing trans athletes to participate in girls’ high school sports. The lawsuit was officially launched in July after the JVHS trans athlete won two state finals in the triple jump and high jump, and took second place in the long jump, at last year’s championships.
Female track and field athletes from California protest transgender inclusion in women’s sports during a postseason meet at Yorba Linda High School on May 10, 2025.
Then, in the fall, there was a controversial women’s volleyball season involving this same trans athlete. Three former JVHS volleyball players filed a Title IX lawsuit against JUSD for allowing the trans athlete on the girls’ team and in the girls’ locker room. Several opposing teams lost to JVHS throughout the season.
JUSD was in communication with Newsom’s office regarding the state’s Title IX legal battle against the Trump administration earlier in September, amid growing national attention as opposing volleyball teams lost to JVHS, apparently in protest of the trans athlete.
Newsom’s Legal Secretary David Sapp sent an email to district administrators on September 8 that appeared to include a copy of the state’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit, filed by Trump’s DOJ in July, over the continuation of CIF policies allowing men to play women’s sports.
“As discussed, please see attached a copy of the Motion to Dismiss that we filed Friday in the USDOJ’s Title IX lawsuit,” Sapp’s email wrote.
NEWSOM’S OFFICE DISTANCES GOVERNOR FROM DOJ LAWSUIT AGAINST CALIFORNIA OVER TRANS ATHLETES IN CONTROVERSIAL POST
The email was forwarded by one district administrator to others, to be discussed at a September 12 meeting. The exchange also appears to indicate that school administrators recently discussed the issue with Sapp himself.
“You can let the team know that [JUSD administrator] & I received this from David Sapp in the Governor’s office on Monday as we were discussing the issue with them and are forwarding it in case it is helpful for our discussion today,” the email wrote.
Fox News Digital has requested from JUSD the minutes and transcripts of the September 12 meeting referenced in the administrator’s email. The school district responded by saying it had no records of the meeting to share.
“The meeting of September 12 in which participated [JUSD administrator] This was an informal teleconference attended by, among others, the district’s legal counsel. There were no minutes of the teleconference, and [JUSD administrator] “I did not take notes or create documents,” a JUSD administrator told Fox News Digital.
“Any notes or documents prepared by District Counsel were not shared with any other party and, as such, are covered by the doctrine of attorney-client work privilege and attorney work product.”
A source within Newsom’s office provided a statement to Fox News Digital in January, in response to a request for clarification on Sapp’s interaction with JUSD administrators.
“On September 8, 2025, [JUSD] Director [Trenton] Hansen and Dave Sapp discussed the USDOJ lawsuit mentioned in your email, which includes allegations related to Jurupa USD. Dave then shared a copy of the State’s motion to dismiss, which had been filed the previous week and was otherwise publicly available. Dave has not given the district any direction or suggestions regarding its handling of the transgender athlete situation or associated media interactions,” the statement said.
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People hold Save Girls Sports signs to protest a transgender athlete during the CIF State Track and Field Championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis, California, May 30, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
The Trump administration cracked down by launching a more targeted investigation into JUSD in January. The U.S. Department of Education announced that JUSD would be specifically investigated for potential Title IX violations, along with 17 other institutions.
Now, the Cal State track and field playoffs will likely take place in the shadow of all that, for the second year in a row.
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