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 postseason event will feature a transgender athlete from Jurupa Valley High School (JVHS).

A protest organized by former NCAA women’s soccer player Sophia Lorey will take place Saturday at the California Interscholastic Southern Division, Division 3 qualifying site. Lorey, the state’s leading “Save Girls Sports” activist, brought national attention to the state playoffs by organizing a similar protest during the same round last year. The issue eventually caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who called out Gov. Gavin Newsom in a post on Truth Social for his state’s ongoing policies allowing biological boys to compete in girls’ sports.

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Fox News Digital asked Newsom’s press office to respond to the upcoming protest and contest involving the transgender athlete.

A source from the governor’s office released a statement to Fox News Digital in response.

“The governor said discussions on this issue should be guided by justice, dignity and respect. He rejects the cynical attempt by the right wing to weaponize this debate as an excuse to denigrate individual children. The governor’s position is simple: stand up for all children and stand up to bullies,” the statement said.

“California is one of 22 states with 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 was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the transgender athlete’s school district, Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD), for a response.

Trump’s Justice Department is pursuing Title IX lawsuits against educational institutions in California over their policies allowing transgender athletes to play sports at girls’ high schools. The lawsuit was officially launched in July after JVHS’ transgender athlete won two state finals in the triple jump and high jump at last year’s championships and placed second in the long jump.

Then came a controversial girls volleyball season in the fall that featured the same transgender athlete. Three now-former JVHS women’s volleyball players have filed a Title IX lawsuit against JUSD for allowing the transgender athlete to be on the girls team and in the girls’ locker room. Multiple opposing teams lost to JVHS throughout the season.

JUSD had been in communication with Newsom’s office earlier that same September regarding the state’s Title IX legal battle against the Trump administration; all the while, at a time when national attention is rising as rival volleyball teams lose to JVHS, apparently in protest of the transgender athlete.

Newsom’s Legal Affairs Secretary David Sapp sent an email to county executives on Sept. 8; That email appeared to include a copy of the state’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed in July by the Trump Justice Department regarding the CIF’s ongoing policies allowing boys to participate in girls’ sports.

“As discussed, please see the attachment for a copy of the motion to dismiss we filed Friday in the USDOJ’s Title IX case,” Sapp’s email wrote.

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The email was forwarded by a district manager to others for discussion at a meeting on September 12. The exchange also appears to show school administrators recently discussing the issue with Sapp.

“You can report this to the team [JUSD administrator] “I received this from David Sapp when I was discussing it with them at the Governor’s office on Monday and we are passing it along in case it is useful for our discussion today,” he wrote in this email.

Fox News Digital requested transcripts and transcripts of the Sept. 12 meeting referenced in the administrator’s email from JUSD. The school district responded by claiming it had no recordings from the meeting it could share.

“The September 12 meeting I attended [JUSD administrator] It was an informal teleconference that included the District’s legal counsel, among other participants. There are only minutes left for the teleconference and [JUSD administrator] A JUSD administrator told Fox News Digital that he did not take notes or create any documentation.

“Any memos or documents prepared by district counsel were not shared with any other party and are therefore covered by the attorney-client business privilege and the attorney work-product doctrine.”

A source in Newsom’s office provided a background statement to Fox News Digital in January in response to an inquiry into disclosure about Sapp’s interaction with JUSD administrators.

“On September 8, 2025, [JUSD] Inspector [Trenton] Hansen and Dave Sapp spoke about the USDOJ case involving Jurupa USD-related allegations mentioned in your email. Dave followed up to share a copy of the State’s Motion to Dismiss, which was filed a week ago and is otherwise publicly available. “Dave has not provided any direction or recommendations to the district regarding the situation of transgender athletes or related media interactions.”

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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 on May 30, 2025 in Clovis, California. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)

The Trump administration cracked down on JUSD in January with a more targeted investigation. The U.S. Department of Education announced that JUSD, along with 17 other institutions, will be specifically investigated for potential Title IX violations.

Now, the California state track and field playoffs will likely be overshadowed by all of this for the second year in a row.

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