Protest Targets Trans Athlete at California Girls Track Preliminaries

A transgender athlete from Jurupa Valley High School will compete in the upcoming California high school girls' track and field postseason.

Former NCAA women's soccer player Sophia Lorey has organized a protest at the California Interscholastic Southern Section Division 3 preliminaries on Saturday. Lorey, a leading Save Girls' Sports activist in the state, held a similar protest at last year's event, drawing national attention to the playoffs. President Donald Trump took note in a Truth Social post, criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom for California's policies allowing biological males in girls' sports.

Fox News Digital sought comment from Newsom's press office on the protest and the athlete's participation. A source there provided this statement: "The Governor has said discussions on this issue should be guided by fairness, dignity, and respect. He rejects the right wing’s cynical attempt to weaponize this debate as an excuse to vilify individual kids. The Governor’s position is simple: stand with all kids and stand up to bullies."

The statement added, "California is one of 22 states that have laws requiring students be permitted 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 contacted the Jurupa Unified School District for response.

Trump's Department of Justice filed Title IX lawsuits against California education agencies in July over policies permitting transgender athletes in girls' high school sports. The action followed the Jurupa Valley athlete's wins in triple jump and high jump, plus second place in long jump, at last year's state championships.

That fall, the same athlete played on the girls' volleyball team, prompting a Title IX lawsuit from three former Jurupa Valley female players against the district. They objected to the athlete's presence on the team and in the girls' locker room. Several opposing teams forfeited matches against Jurupa Valley.

In September, amid the forfeits, the district communicated with Newsom's office about the state's Title IX fight with the Trump administration. On Sept. 8, Newsom's Legal Affairs Secretary David Sapp emailed district administrators a copy of the state's motion to dismiss the DOJ lawsuit over policies allowing males in girls' sports.

"As discussed, please see attached for a copy of the motion to dismiss that we filed on Friday in USDOJ’s lawsuit around Title IX," Sapp wrote.

One administrator forwarded the email to others ahead of a Sept. 12 meeting. The message noted, "You can let the team know that [JUSD administrator] & I received this from David Sapp with the Governor's office on Monday when discussing the issue with them and we're passing it along in case it is helpful for our discussion today."

Fox News Digital requested records from the Sept. 12 meeting. A district administrator replied that it was an informal teleconference with legal counsel and no minutes exist. "Any notes or documents prepared by district legal counsel have not been shared with any other party and, as such, are covered by the attorney-client work privilege and attorney work-product doctrine."

In January, a Newsom office source gave this background statement: "On September 8, 2025, [JUSD] Superintendent [Trenton] Hansen and Dave Sapp spoke regarding the USDOJ lawsuit mentioned in your email, which includes allegations related to Jurupa USD. Dave followed up to share a copy of the State’s Motion to Dismiss, which had been filed the week before and was otherwise publicly available. Dave did not give the district any directives or suggestions regarding its handling of the transgender athlete situation or related media interactions."

Trump's administration opened a targeted investigation of the Jurupa Unified School District in January. The U.S. Department of Education named it among 17 institutions for potential Title IX violations.

The state track playoffs will proceed under this scrutiny for a second straight year.