California Democrats have struck down another attempt to protect females from transgender-identifying men. Two bills authored by Assemblyman Bill Essayli and Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez failed to pass through the Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday with both receiving a vote down party lines.

Assembly bill 89 would have required the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) to change its policy regarding transgender athletes by banning men from competing in women’s sports. Assembly bill 844 suggested amending state law to demand K-12 students use facilities such as locker rooms based on their biological sex. Assemblymember Sanchez made it clear the bills are “not about hate.” She added, “It is not about fear, and it’s not right-wing talking points. This is entirely about fairness, safety and integrity in girls’ competitive high school athletics. That’s it.”

Republicans were cautiously optimistic that they may have been able to garner some support in favor of the bills coming from the Governor’s Office after Governor Gavin Newsom (D) recently labeled men competing in women’s sports “deeply unfair” during a podcast. However, Newsom remained silent, refusing to make known any support he may have had for the proposed legislation.

Despite the lack of support from Newsom, multiple conservative thought leaders made their endorsements clear. Sophia Lorey from the California Family Council testified before the committee warning of unfairness against girls competing in sports across the state.

During her comments she asked, “Why do you not care about the rights of girls? Why do you not care about our safety? Why won’t you protect us?” Lorey also shared about her own experiences as a female athlete. She believes girls with the same dreams she had are having their hopes dashed at the hands of transgender-identifying athletes who hold an unfair advantage. She continued, “AB 89 does not ban anyone from sports. It’s simple; everyone gets to play sports on the team that aligns with your sex. Girls losing roster spots to boys isn’t inclusive; it’s invasive. Letting males take championship spots isn’t progress; it’s regressive. And forcing girls to include boys on their teams isn’t inclusive; it’s coercive.”

Lorey was not alone in her support of the proposed laws. Conservative commentator Matt Walsh, who has been an outspoken opponent of transgender ideology, appeared before the committee to testify in favor of AB 844. Walsh told the lawmakers, “You must keep men out of women’s sports and out of their facilities for the simple reason that they are men. Men are not women. A man who claims he is a woman is still not a woman.”

The focus of Walsh’s testimony was regarding what he labeled “truth.” Walsh said, “So why shouldn’t men play in women’s sports? Because they aren’t women. It isn’t true. We should not allow men into women’s sports for the same reason we shouldn’t go around claiming two plus two equals seven. It’s just not true. It is a lie.” He continued, “The man who identifies as a woman is either diluted and confused or he is a cross-dressing fetishist looking to play out his fantasies in public. In either case, the claim he’s making, the claim to womanhood, is not true, and compelling women to take part in this untruth is evil, perverse, and predatory.”

Representative Essayli, author of AB 844, reminded the committee that California receives about $8 billion in federal funding each year and implored his fellow lawmakers to fall into compliance with Title IX. If not, “we will not only be failing our female students and athletes, but we are also jeopardizing a critical funding source for our school districts,” he warned.

Essayli’s fears have already begun to become reality as Education Secretary Linda McMahon has recently threatened to remove federal funding from the state in a letter she sent to Governor Newsom. An excerpt from the letter read, “Allowing participation in sex-separated activities based on ‘gender identity’ places schools at risk of Title IX violations and loss of federal funding. As Governor, you have a duty to inform California school districts of this risk.”

When the testimonies were completed, several parents, former athletes, faculty from Californian schools, organizational leaders, and current athletes expressed their support for the legislation including the director of Real Impact, Gina Gleason. Gleason told The Washington Stand that there was “large numbers of supporters,” and despite the opposition having the opportunity to voice their opinions as well, “the majority of those in attendance were supporters of both bills.”

Gleason believed the bills to be “well thought out and defended before the committee.” Although the proposed legislation ultimately failed, Gleason maintained a positive attitude about the process and future fight for protecting girls from trans-identifying males. She said, “Sometimes it’s a matter of going on record to show your position on a particular bill. … We would like our bills to pass, but now we have a public record where our legislature stands on these issues.”