AB Hernandez: 16-year-old transgender athlete wins two golds and a silver as participation sparks controversy
A 16-year-old transgender athlete who is the focus of a US sports row has won two golds and a silver at the California high school track and field championship.
AB Hernandez was born a boy but has transitioned and now competes against girls.
And the teenager's inclusion in the girls category in the high jump, long jump and triple jump became a national conversation.
Critics, including parents, conservative activists and President Trump, had called for Hernandez to be barred from competing.
Who is AB Hernandez?
In the city of Clovis on Saturday, she took part under a new rule change brought in by the state's interscholastic federation, under which an extra student was allowed to compete and win a medal in the events where Hernandez qualified.
And it meant there were two winners when she finished first.
Hernandez shared first place in the high jump with Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle.
All three cleared a height of 5ft 7in (1.7m), but Hernandez had no failed attempts, while the other two had each logged one failure.
Hernandez also had a first-place finish in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher, who trailed her by more than half a metre.
Also, Hernandez came second in the long jump with Brooke White.
"Sharing the podium was nothing but an honour," White said. "As a part of the queer community I want AB Hernandez to know we all have her back."
Plane protest
During Hernandez's qualifying events on Friday, a plane flew over the stadium trailing a banner, which read: "No boys in girls' sports." It was organised and paid for by two women's advocacy groups.
A small protest also took place on the road outside. "Save girls' sports," one poster read. "XX does not equal XY," read another.
Transgender inclusion is a thorny issue but a vote winner for Donald Trump, who campaigned last year with a promise to "kick out men from women's sport".
He signed an executive order seeking to ban transgender women from female sports.
And Mr Trump has threatened to withdraw federal funding from California over Hernandez's participation in this weekend's athletics event.
'Pilot entry process'
The California Interscholastic Federation had earlier said it was launching a "pilot entry process" to allow more girls to participate in the championship.
It only applied to the three events in which Hernandez competed.
The rule change may be the first attempt nationally by a high school sports governing body to expand competition when trans athletes are participating.
If a transgender athlete wins a medal, their ranking would not displace a "biological female" student from also medalling, the federation confirmed, and it will be reflected in the records.
The federation said the rule opens the field to more "biological female" athletes.
The organisation did not specify how it defines "biological female" or how it would verify whether a competitor meets that definition.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
21 minutes ago
- The Independent
Half of Americans say they are already cutting back because of tariffs — and that includes summer vacation plans
Americans are planning to spend less money this summer due to the impact of Donald Trump's trade tariffs, according to surveys, polling, and media reports. In a survey by the personal finance company WalletHub, 45 per cent of respondents said that tariffs were affecting their travel plans, while nearly two in three said they planned to spend less money this summer than they did last year. A survey of 1,516 U.S. consumers by the accounting giant KPMG in April found that 50 per cent were cutting back spending due to tariffs and more than 70 per cent expect a recession within the next 12 months. The next month, 56 per cent of respondents told pollsters commissioned by Bloomberg News that their household finances would be better off without Trump's tariffs, with 69 per cent saying they expected higher prices. "The tariffs are making high prices even more unreasonably high, to the point where... what you're charging is not even close to what this is worth," Raina Becker, a freelance copy editor in New York state, told NBC News. Mei Wu, a 31-year-old content creator in Los Angeles, likewise told the outlet that she had recently given up on buying a coveted new dress after it more than doubled in price due to tariffs. Meanwhile, Philadelphia father-of-two Brad Russell, 40, told Bloomberg that his family would be taking more modest vacations this summer because they expected costs to rise, taking weekend car trips to nearby attractions rather than week-long spells at major resorts such as Disney World. Since retaking power this January, Trump has used emergency powers to impose steep new taxes on a wide range of imported goods, including a 30 to 50 per cent tariff on goods from China and a blanket 10 per cent tariff on all imports from anywhere. Courts are still untangling whether or not he actually had the legal authority to do so, with one federal judge recently ruling that the president cannot "unilaterally impose... tariffs to reorder the global economy". As of April, Trump's tariffs did not appear to have increased inflation. Nevertheless, many consumers and businesses are evidently worried that worse is yet to come. Big retailers including Walmart, Target, Macy's, Shein, Ford, Volkswagen, Best Buy, and Nintendo have signaled that they will probably raise prices in the coming months. "[Price hikes] are happening right now, and they'll become more obvious," Walmart's chief financial officer John David Rainey told Bloomberg last month. U.S. airlines have also reduced their flight schedules because they anticipate lower demand from both domestic and international travelers. Trump and his allies have argued that tariffs will incentivize companies to source more of their products within the USA, which he claims will kickstart a manufacturing renaissance. But many experts and business leaders have said it would be difficult or impossible to manufacture most modern consumer products without using any imported components or foreign labor. "All I'm saying is that a young lady — a 10-year-old-girl, 9-year-old girl, 15-year-old-girl — doesn't need 37 dolls," he told reporters aboard Air Force One last month. "She could be very happy with two or three or four or five."
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I'm a tradhusband... I cater to my rich wife's every need at home
A couple has revealed how a life-changing event 'forced' them to change the stereotypical roles in their relationship - and why they love it. Utah-based Sharon and Kerry Johnson, both 39, share six kids aged 15, 13, 12, 10, eight, and six, with Sharon previously assuming the role of stay-at-home mom while Kerry worked full time. However, after Kerry lost his job as a health administrator, they switched roles; with Sharon now the breadwinner and working as a full-time content creator, and Kerry a stay-at-home dad or he refers to himself - the 'tradhusband.' The change was even more unique as the pair grew up in Mormon households, where typically, the wife stays at home to bring up the kids and take care of the household and the husband goes to work. Whilst it's not what Kerry grew up with - he loves his new life. 'I love being called a tradwife or tradhusband – it's a badge I wear with complete pride,' the father-of-six gushed to What's The Jam recently. 'It's such a rare thing in the circles we run in and it's been such a positive change for our family,' he continued. 'I can't imagine seeing it in a negative way.' Reflecting on what life was like before, Karry admitted most days were 'tremendously stressful,' and he was 'pretty dissatisfied' with the amount of time he was spending away from home. 'I felt very disconnected from my wife and kids and that created a lot of tension,' he explained. Kerry said there was pressure added because he didn't feel like he could 'willingly leave' the job that was bringing in the money to feed my family. 'So I was very unhappy overall,' he explained. It wasn't until Kerry's company laid him off, along with a number of workers, that the couple considered changing up their roles. 'This was not the first lay-off I had been part of and each time presented us with the reality that we enjoyed having me home more,' he explained. Kerry explained being laid-off again made him and Sharon question whether they should continue the 'traditional route' - which meant him finding another job - or if Sharon should start working instead. By this point, Sharon was earning enough money to support them through content creation through her social media accounts, and they were both eager to try it. 'It's had its difficult moments, but I enjoy this much more than the work I was doing,' Kerry said enthusiastically. The change was even more unique as the pair grew up in Mormon households, where typically, the wife stays at home to bring up the kids and the husband goes to work 'I don't feel any less masculine for the change – quite the opposite, actually,' he said assuredly. 'The idea that I can help my family in whatever way they might need is quite powerful.' He added that Sharon has been given a 'strong sense of independence and reality, which can very much get buried with women' - especially in the Mormon religion, which the family is no longer apart of. '[Her job] takes her away from the family more, but the time she has with the kids seems to be higher quality time,' Kerry pointed out. Sharon and Kerry have grown to feel more like a team in this transition, and while they've faced some backlash from people in their community, they don't regret it one bit. 'I enjoy that our kids have an example of a strong, independent woman providing for them,' he gushed. 'And the perspective we've gained has been great.' He said they have both come to appreciate what how much work they each do. 'If you are operating in the traditional sense, if making the switch is half as positive as the change has been for us, then it's absolutely worth it,' he declared. 'I love being a tradhusband,' he enthused. 'We've broken that norm and it's going better than we could have imagined.'
Daily Mail
28 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Colorado terrorist's job that put him close to unsuspecting Americans every day
To neighbors, Mohamed Soliman was a quiet father of five who drove for Uber and watched his children play and ride bikes in his yard. That perception changed on Sunday night when FBI agents woke up the street by swarming his two-bedroom home in Colorado Springs while executing a search warrant.
