Secretary of Education Linda McMahon gave the state 10 days, beginning June 27, to sign on to an agreement “to rescind any trans-inclusionary guidelines and send cisgender female athletes who lost to a trans opponent personalized apologies,” The Sacramento Bee reports. The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights had determined that California had violated federal nondiscrimination law by letting trans girls and women compete against cis females. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 bans sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funds. Democratic administrations have interpreted it as preventing anti-trans discrimination, while Trump's administration is using it to enable anti-trans discrimination.
But California will not go along. “The [California Department of Education] respectfully disagrees with OCR’s analysis, and it will not sign the proposed Resolution Agreement,” CDE General Counsel Len Garfinkle wrote Monday to OCR Regional Director Bradley Burke, according to the Bee.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s staff termed the proposed agreement a “political document” and said it had no legal validity. It would also make the state violate its own trans-inclusive nondiscrimination laws, Newsom’s aides said. California passed a law in 2013 allowing students to play on sports teams consistent with their gender identity.
The Trump administration has threatened loss of federal funds to K-12 schools, colleges, and universities with trans-inclusive sports policies, and some have agreed to ban trans athletes, such as, recently, the University of Pennsylvania.
Newsom, usually a strong LGBTQ+ ally, received criticism this year for questioning the fairness of letting trans girls compete with cis girls. Now, with his state standing up for trans girls, he’s catching fire from McMahon.
“California has just REJECTED our resolution agreement to follow federal law and keep men out of women’s sports,” she wrote on X. “Turns out Gov. Newsom’s acknowledgment that ‘it’s an issue of fairness’ was empty political grandstanding.” She said he would hear from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
California is already suing the federal government over the demand to change the state’s trans-inclusive policy. Changing that would violate state antidiscrimination law and the U.S. Constitution, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
And just two weeks ago, a spokesman for Newsom downplayed McMahon’s threat of withholding federal funds. “It wouldn’t be a day ending in ‘Y’ without the Trump administration threatening to defund California,” Newsom’s director of communications, Izzy Gardon, told The Advocate at the time. “Now Secretary McMahon is confusing government with her WrestleMania days — dramatic, fake, and completely divorced from reality. This won’t stick.”
California has made one concession. In May, the California Interscholastic Federation quietly changed the rules for competing in the girls’ state track championships, with a pilot program allowing cis girls who narrowly missed qualifying — allegedly due to the inclusion of a trans competitor — a chance to compete. But a trans girl targeted by Trump, Jurupa Valley High School junior AB Hernandez, was still allowed to participate as well. Hernandez won two gold medals and one silver at the state finals, and her fellow athletes offered no objections.
Maine has already stood up to Trump’s attacks on trans athletes. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills said the state would not change its trans-inclusive policies and that she would see Trump in court. After a federal court intervened in the administration’s attempt to withhold school meal funding from Maine, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would restore the funds.
Shannon Minter, legal director at the National Center for LGBTQ Rights, praised California’s latest action. “This administration is targeting California in an attempt to intimidate it into backing away from its strong anti-discrimination laws,” he told the Bee. “I’m encouraged to see the California Department of Education is standing up to that.”
soccer stars Tobin Heath and Christen Press Team Up With Pup Bobbi to Promote Dog AdoptionFamily Goals Campaign
Soccer superstars and gay athlete power couple Christen Press and Tobin Heath have a new member of the family, and they want the whole world to know about it!
Press, who currently plays for Angel City Football Club in the NWSL, and Heath have been a couple for nine years. They played together for several years on the USNWT and won back-to-back World Cups with the team in 2015 and 2019.
Now, the couple has teamed up with PETA for a new campaign sharing how their adopted dog has improved their lives and encouraging others to adopt pets as well.
The soccer players star in a new video where they tell the story of how they adopted their dog, Bobbi. In the video, Heath reveals that Bobbi started as a foster dog for the couple, but they couldn't imagine giving her up and ended up adopting her permanently.
"She has changed my life," Heath says. "She has given me so much more than we could have ever imagined. It's really cool to have an extra heartbeat in the house."
Press spoke with PRIDE about the campaign, their dog, and her and Heath's plans for their family and the future.
Jen Rosenstein for PeTA
PRIDE: Where does adopting a foster dog rank on your list of Gayest Accomplishments?
Christen Press: [Laugh] I don't know. I think you have to tell me. We were not planning to foster or to adopt. And it all just happened to us in the loveliest of ways. We were very proud DINKs. I think some people think you can still say double income, no kids with a dog, but I don't. The dog is definitely a large-budget item in our lives now. But yeah, we're loving being young dog parents.
How has adopting a dog changed your life?
A lot of the reason that I wanted to try fostering in the first place was just because Tobin and I are very work-oriented people. And I think being athletes, you don't really know another way other than giving your whole self to your career. And as we enter the last phase of our playing career and, like, start to transition to the next phase, I wanted, honestly, to remind Tobin that there are other things in life other than work that can be quite lovely and nourishing.
And I think that without kind of disrupting the cycle that we're in of like work, work, work between playing and running our business, I needed to disrupt that cycle to just remind us both that there are a lot of ways to have a full and lovely life.
How did Bobbi go from being a foster to a permanent adoption?
I was thinking I'm going to adopt a dog that's not the normal type of dog that Tobin and I have talked about. I'm going to foster a dog that's outside of the norm of what we've talked about that we would have for a dog. Because then it'll be easier to foster, and we'll find a great home, and it'll be so great.
And then we'll have reminded ourselves that we care for things and love things and talk about family planning and all that. And then within three days, I said to Tobin, Oh, we have to take Bob, whose name was Bingo. Bingo is her foster name. We have to take her to Puppy Yoga so she gets adopted. And Tobin was like, "My dog is not going to an adoption yoga session." I was like, well, I guess we've changed our tune here!
Honestly, I wish Tobin was on the phone because she would tell you like Bob has already changed her life. And she started saying that, like on day four, which I thought was quite comical to be honest. But I think it was just such a big shift for us because our job can be so selfish. It can be like, "I have to eat. I have to sleep. I have to travel. I miss my friend's weddings." Like, just this all-encompassing dedication to your craft.
That it's been a really, really big shift for us to say, you know, "We have to come home, take care of the dog. We got to rewrite our schedules. We have to change our lives." And I think we had seen that as like responsibility… [and hadn't thought about] like the joy of coming home to your dog. Like leaving the party early and coming home to just be home with your pup.
I think we had seen that only as something that we didn't want. And with Bob, we realized it was such an important part of life to be able to choose to make sacrifices to take care of something else. And it's been a really, really beautiful addition to our life and family.
What does the next phase include for you?
Well, I do know that there will be at some point life after soccer. And I don't know when that is.
I think the reason that Tobin and I work really well together is we're similar in that we leave a lot of space for exploration. And so, while we've been playing, we've been running our business. So we already have like next phases layered in, and we're co-CEOs. So there's like a natural step ladder for us.
At the same time, Tobin's been doing all sorts of stuff. She's with FIFA at the Men's World Cup as an analyst. She started the World Sevens. And so she's just trying all different things with an open mind and like an eye towards exploration.
And whenever my time at Angel City comes to an end, if it's this year or if it's next year, you know, it's not that far away. And I am excited for an opportunity to travel, an opportunity to explore what other career I might have. And to explore the idea of what it would be like to be, you know, family first, either one of us or both of us, if we decided to grow our family any more.
You and Tobin have been letting the public into your private lives more recently. Why now?
I think as we spend more time in front of the camera on our podcast, the relationship that we have with our community has just grown. And it really is like a two-way relationship that I don't think that most athletes get with their community that we have because of our business. And we have a membership within our business where people interact with our community all the time, right? And so, like, at some point, the lines blur between who's our close friends in real life and who are like these people that we represent and we play for, and they listen to us talk about our problems. And there, it became more intimate, our relationship with the public. And I think that's when we became more comfortable sharing it.
I think that for Tobin and I, we've always believed that it can be tricky to have a public relationship because, to be fair, most of what we've seen is that the women's soccer community really, really loves an openly gay couple, right? And I think the gay community is craving representation, and we really need that, right? So, in a way, the reason that we were at first keeping ourselves more private is so that our relationships stayed sacred for us. And it never became like a business. It never became like, "Oh, it makes sense to do this because, like, this is how we make our money." You know? And with our teammates and other public figures, straight and gay, you can see how that is a tricky thing to navigate.
Of course, we want to be proud and loud and like represent the queer community, of course. But at the same time, it was important for Tobin and I to be athletes first, individual athletes, and businesswomen. And for us to be a brand that's united has been a slow journey that has become more possible as our relationship has become sturdier over time.
Are you proud to be working with PETA on this campaign?
To be a part of this campaign with PETA is such an honor.
And now, 10 years later, it's me and my wife, and our dog inside of our home. And it's like the intimacy is growing. And I am proud of that. And I think it's been really special how we've allowed our relationship with the public and with the community to sort of just slowly and organically blossom and not snowball into something that we weren't ready for. And I'm excited to see what happens next.
Why are you encouraging others to adopt pets?
I just say from the bottom of my heart, I think that there's so many ways that we can all contribute to the world and make our mark. But adopting a pup is a really beautiful thing. And I can't imagine that a gorgeous, smart, hardworking, adorable, lovable dog like mine could be out there and not have a home. But there's billions of them, right? And I just want to encourage people to take a look because taking from a shelter, from rescue organizations, is really important and it's really fulfilling. And it makes Tobin and I really proud. And we hope that and encourage people to look into it and explore with us as well.
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Indiana Fever dribbles the ball while being guarded by Sydney Colson #51 of the Las Vegas Aces in the first quarter at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on September 11, 2024 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Dylan Buell/Getty Images; @drafts95452567/X
Celebrating a WNBA championship win took a hilarious and cheekily sapphic turn when Caitlin Clark was surprised by Sydney Colson’s antics.
Clark may have been forced to sit out the Indiana Fever’s Tuesday night game against the Minnesota Lynx, but she didn’t miss a second of the post-game celebrations.
After the team scored a championship-clinching win, Clark was celebrating in the locker room, bent over while talking to the camera on an Instagram Live when Colson snuck up behind her and jokingly started to dry hump her.
“Woah bro,” Clark laughed as she jumped up. “Absolutely not, no thank you!"
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The now-viral moment was just one of the team’s celebratory antics from that night. Clark may have been out due to a groin injury, but that didn’t stop her from using the Commissioner's Cup trophy as a cup for her teammates to drink out of, helped to spray down the team and coach with champagne, and then Clark, Lexi Hull, and Sophie Cunningham shotgunned beer before sneaking up behind Colson to drench her in beer and champagne.
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“I don’t know how to spray. I’m not a drinker. I don’t know how to do champagne celebrations,” Colson said, per Essentially Sports. “But they were open. The coaches were having a good time, chugging out of the Commissioner’s Cup. It was fun. It was a good vibe.”
Maybe Colson’s suggestive hip thrusting was payback for Clark’s shenanigans.
Dallas Wings guard DiJonai Carrington (21) gets held by Dallas Wings forward NaLyssa Smith (1) after a play during the game against the Chicago Sky on May 31, 2025.
Dallas Wings star NaLyssa Smith will be testing if distance really makes the heart grow stronger after being traded away from the team where she played with girlfriend DiJonai Carrington.
Smith said she was “sick to my stomach” about her unexpected trade to the Las Vegas Aces. She's not the only one.
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After years of playing on opposing teams, this season Smith and Carrington were finally playing together, but that all came to an end yesterday when the Wings announced they were trading Smith in exchange for a first-round draft pick in 2027.
Smith and Carrington first started dating when the two played together at Baylor, and were excited about playing together again for the first time in years.
When the news broke, Smith took to X to write, "sick to my stomach dawg, never seen this coming but... i love you dallas nation, thank you 4 everything.”
Carrington posted photos of the couple together on and off the court, along with mending heart and infinity sign emojis. Smith also reposted this with the caption, “i love you wifeyyyy take care of tha kidsss."
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Fans were also heartbroken that the lesbian basketball stars were getting split up again. TikTok women’s sports commentator Coach Jackie made a video about the trade, jokingly calling it the “most homophobic trade in WNBA history, while people on X called Aces head coach Becky Hammon “the devil,” and criticized the WNBA for trading players without their knowledge.
Replying to @🥝 LIKE NOOOO #wnba #wbb #gay #greenscreen
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"Traded a first round pick for… Nalyssa Smith. Alright I’m out. Becky Hammon you are the devil," someone wrote on X.
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"the fact athletes can get traded without their knowledge is diabolical and needs changing," another person posted.
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As disappointed as fans are, the trade makes sense for both teams since the Aces are having a weak season and are looking to add some strength to their team, and the Wings haven’t had a first-round pick in three years.
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Some fans were also upset that this means Smith will no longer be playing alongside rookie Paige Bueckers, but Smith expressed excitement that she’ll be joining “my goat” in Las Vegas, likely referring to three-time WNBA MVP and two-time WNBA champion A'ja Wilson, CBS Sports reports.
"on another note tho if i could've chose anywhere to go it would've been vegas so hella excited 4 this new opportunity wit my goat," Smith wrote.
Giant Chess board and players at the Hirschgarten Park in Munich, Germany, June 2018
Pit Stock via Shutterstock
In the hushed halls of competitive chess, where the clash of queens and bishops usually eclipses cultural warfare, a teenage girl has found herself at the center of Germany’s latest front in the debate over transgender women’s inclusion in sports.
Nora Heidemann, 17, a trans girl from North Rhine-Westphalia, made history this month by winning Germany’s under-18 girls’ chess championship, scoring 7.5 out of nine points and outperforming 27 rivals. Her victory, reported by Apollo News, a German politicalnews outlet, and later detailed in The Times of London, has triggered a fierce conversation over who belongs in women’s competitions—even in pursuits where brainpower, not brawn, rules the day.
Heidemann’s path to the championship was anything but typical. She competed in the open U18 division at her state-level event but failed to qualify directly, according to Apollo News. Her legal gender change was finalized only after the deadline for girls’ registration had passed. Ultimately, she secured one of five discretionary “free places,” awarded based on performance ratings, not gender identity, the outlet reports.
Still, her win has fueled skepticism from some quarters of the German chess community. Nadja Jussupow, head of the German Commission for Women’s Chess and a former champion, stated that more trans women have been entering women’s tournaments since Germany’s Self-Determination Act took effect in 2021. “They haven’t undergone any treatment or anything—they merely declared themselves to be women,” Jussupow said. The Times reports that she claimed some cisgender women players were considering quitting, fearing unfair competition.
Jussupow suggested a one-year waiting period for newly declared trans women before competing in women’s categories, a proposal that reportedly found support among some women’s chess referees.
The German Chess Federation has rejected any ban, citing Germany’s new legal protections and stressing that “chess is diverse and inclusive.” Federation president Ingrid Lauterbach condemned the discriminatory backlash Heidemann has faced on social media, saying, “We’re an inclusive sport and want to be so.”
Internationally, the World Chess Federation imposed a temporary ban in 2023, preventing trans women from women’s tournaments pending further review—a rule Germany opposes, pointing out that a trans woman had already claimed a national women’s title in the early 2000s, Apollo News reports.
