California college athletics organization faces investigation over transgender policy

The California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) is under investigation into whether its transgender participation policy violated Title IX, officials said Thursday.

The Title IX Special Investigations Team (Title IX SIT) of the Department of Education and the Department of Justice. The announcement came one day after the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights launched 18 Title IX investigations into school districts across the United States and two days after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on efforts to protect women’s and girls’ sports.

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A protester holds a sign in front of the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, United States, on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“The fact that a Community College Athletic Association has a ‘Transgender Participation Policy’ is a stunning indictment of our culture,” Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said in a news release. “Women’s sports are for women. Yet California Governor Gavin Newsom, despite admitting the truth on a podcast, continues to put ideology before the safety and justice of his own students. The Trump administration will not tolerate policies that erase women’s rights.

“Title IX SIT looks forward to investigating this matter to ensure that all women have equal access to educational programs and athletic opportunities, because justice and safety are non-negotiable.”

News Digital reached out to the California Community College Athletic Association.

Officials denounced the organization’s policy regarding transgender athletes.

Groups on both sides of the debate gathered Tuesday morning to protest as two cases barring transgender girls from joining girls’ and women’s sports teams are heard inside the Supreme Court. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT LAUNCHES 18 TITLE IX INVESTIGATIONS AFTER SCOTUS HEARS ARGUMENTS IN EFFORTS TO PROTECT WOMEN’S SPORTS

“A trans[gender] female… or non-binary student-athlete who has completed at least one calendar year of testosterone suppression treatment… may compete on a female team.”

Officials said a complaint was filed with OCR, alleging that the policy discriminated against at least three female athletes “on the basis of sex by allowing a male athlete to participate on the women’s volleyball team at a member university and access women’s locker rooms during the 2024 and 2025 seasons.”

The complaint adds that the organization “ignored complaints from female students about harm caused to women when male students participate in women’s sports.”

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It is unclear which 3C2A schools were involved.

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