ADVOCATES FOR FAITH & FREEDOM
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, May 28, 2025
CONTACT: Nicole Velasco
NVELASCO@FAITH-FREEDOM.COM
Murrieta, CA— In a pivotal turn of events, the United States Department of Justice has formally entered the legal battle to save girls' sports in California, filing a Statement of Interest in a federal lawsuit brought by Advocates for Faith & Freedom on behalf of two courageous female high school athletes in a Southern California school district.
The Department of Justice’s filing sends a clear message: Title IX was designed to protect biological females in sports, not to be twisted into a tool that allows boys to displace girls on the track, the podium, or in scholarship opportunities.
“This case has always been about common sense, fairness, and the plain meaning of the law,” said Advocates attorney Julianne Fleischer. “The Department of Justice’s filing makes it clear that allowing biological males to compete against girls violates the very heart of Title IX. Girls' sports were never meant to be a social experiment, they exist so that girls can win, lead, and thrive on a level playing field.”
In the Statement of Interest filed on May 28, 2025, the Department of Justice states unequivocally that Title IX “explicitly acknowledges fundamental differences in the way girls and boys participate in sports” and that those differences justify the existence of separate teams. The Department of Justice affirmed that allowing a male athlete to compete as a female “upsets the level playing field” and interferes with the equal opportunity for females to fully participate in and enjoy the educational benefits of athletics.
The Department of Justice also referenced Executive Order 14201, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports,” which reinforces federal policy to “affirmatively protect all-female athletic opportunities and all-female locker rooms”, a pointed defense of the biological distinctions Title IX was crafted to protect.
The federal lawsuit centers on a female high school athlete who was removed from the Varsity Top 7 cross-country roster after a male athlete—who had transferred schools and previously excelled as the top runner—was given preferential treatment and allowed to join the girls’ team. The male athlete proceeded to displace other female athletes from races, podium spots, and college scouting opportunities. When the athletes wore shirts with the message “Save Girls’ Sports,” district administrators forced them to cover or remove the shirts.
The plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief to restore fairness and reinstate their rights under Title IX. The DOJ's Statement of Interest bolsters the core of the case: that permitting biological males to compete in female sports violates the letter and spirit of federal law.
The case is set for hearing in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on June 20, 2025, where the State and the School District are asking the Court to dismiss the case.
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Advocates for Faith & Freedom is a non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting constitutional and religious liberty in the courts. Our mission is to engage in cases that will uphold our religious liberty and America’s heritage and to educate Americans about our fundamental constitutional rights.