Gavin Newsom signs California law to study youth-sports inclusion and trans athleteshttps://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/other/gavin-newsom-signs-california-law-to-study-youth-sports-inclusion-and-trans-athletes/ar-AA1Ox5wL?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=3e9cbce89a3c4f289e3bd6f4fe6804d8&ei=31 🔗 [Link: msn.com/en-us/sports/other/gavin-newsom-signs-california-law-to-study-youth-sports-inclusion-and-trans-athletes/ar-AA1Ox5wL/]Karleigh Webb (15 Oct 2025)
A California bill requiring a commission to study inclusion in youth sports — including trans youth — was signed into law by Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday.
The Youth Sports for All Act, AB749, calls for a formation of a committee that aims to bring in people who work in youth sports in the state — appointed by the Governor and the state senate and assembly — to look at how to build more opportunities for participation. Specific issues cited in the bill include strengthening certification requirements for coaches, greater synergies among organizations, and ways to bridging economic gaps and and financial barriers to participation.
The major principle according to the bill is to "improve access to and involvement in sports for all youth," regardless of demographic, including race, orientation, gender identity, disability, income or geographic location.
For oppositions, largely Republican, "gender identity" is the sticking point. For GOP legislators, the bill is seen as a means to further oppose the President's executive order calling for a nationwide blanket ban on transgender women and girls in women's and girls' sports.
The state has publicly opposed and ignored the President's executive order despite threats coming from Washington, citing California state law and the regulations of the California Interscholastic Federation, the state governing body for high school sports.
