California families of girl athletes speak out as state changes championship amid rules transgender drama
Amid a national controversy involving a trans athlete competing in the girls' category, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced a series of sweeping rule changes in the days leading up to the event to accommodate female competitors.
But now multiple families of girls who have already been displaced by a trans athlete at previous meets have spoken out against the federation, expressing dissatisfaction with the changes.
On Tuesday, the CIF announced it would expand the size of the championship competition pool and inviting "biological female" athletes who missed out on making the title meet by one spot due to a trans athlete finishing ahead of them in last week's qualifying round.
Then on Wednesday, the federation announced it would also recognize female athletes on the medal podium if a girl who misses out on a medal finish does so because they came behind a trans athlete.
Crean Lutheran track and field star Reese Hogan finished in second place to trans athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School in the triple jump at the Southern Sectional final on May 17. Then, on the medal podium, after Hernandez stepped off, Hogan stepped up to the first-place spot for a photo-op to a roaring applause. The stunt went viral as Hogan was praised by women's sports rights activists as a heroine.
But CIF's latest rule changes won't be giving Hogan the first-place medal for that event.
Hogan's family provided a statement from her to Fox News Digital that read, "The recent CIF rule changes clearly acknowledge a misstep on their part. However, what they've proposed falls short of what we truly need for all girls across all sports. I placed second in CIF, and I know that if I hadn't been competing against a boy, I would have claimed the top spot on the podium."
"Unfortunately, we can't revisit that moment to rectify this injustice. This issue transcends a single meet, sport, or individual; it's fundamentally about the rights of all females to compete fairly among themselves. We deserve that opportunity, and we will continue to advocate for it."
Hogan has previously told Fox News Digital she finds the situation involving Hernandez "sad."
"It's just kind of sad just watching. He's obviously a really talented athlete, we've all seen him jump and stuff, and I wish him the best of luck, but in a boys' division," Hogan previously told Fox News Digital about competing against the athlete. "It's pretty obvious the certain advantages that he has, and it's obviously just sad as a woman to watch that."
Meanwhile, the family of Hogan's Crean Lutheran teammate, Olivia Viola, also isn't satisfied with the rule changes.
"While we are grateful that a few female athletes will regain their ability to compete at states and females will earn their rightful titles at this weekends competition, unfortunately CIFs trial program doesn't actually fix anything. Women are still being forced to compete against biological males. The title IX civil rights of our daughters, sisters, friends and teammates are still being violated," Viola's family said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"Unfortunately, with each step our state leaders take, comes the realization that California really has no intention of protecting our girls in the ways that are necessary. The pilot program essentially admits that allowing biological males to compete in the female category was a mistake. Now it's time for full course correction. There is a fundamental truth here that must be upheld. Separating competitive athletics into two XX-XY gender categories must be a non-negotiable."
President Donald Trump weighed in on the situation when he sent a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning, warning the state and Gov. Gavin Newsom of potential funding cuts and orders to local authorities to prevent a trans athlete from competing in the girls' category on Saturday. The first rule change came just hours after Trump's post.
The Department of Justice announced it would launch an investigation into the CIF and California Attorney General Rob Bonta over the state's law that allows biologically male trans athletes to compete with girls and women on Wednesday. The second rule change took place shortly after that announcement.
On Tuesday, the family of another girls' track star who has been displaced by Hernandez in the track and field postseason, Katie McGuinness of La Canada High School, told Fox News Digital they are grateful for Trump's intervention.
"We are grateful that President Trump is fighting for female athletes and giving them a fair shot to compete on a level playing field. CIF's 'solution' to this situation, which allows additional girls to compete at the state championship who otherwise didn't qualify because the transgender athlete took their spot, isn't good enough – it's still an unfair competition and an injustice to the girls competing," the family said in a statement.
"Allowing biological males to compete in women's sports is unfair, unjust and defies common sense," the family added.
Katie previously spoke out against CIF for allowing the situation to get this far in an interview on Fox News' "America Reports" last week.
"I have nothing against this athlete as a person, and I have nothing against the trans community," McGuinness said. "My message today is really specifically to CIF and for them to act quickly and in a timely manner because this is a really time-sensitive issue."
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
a few seconds ago
- New York Times
Taylor Swift joins Travis and Jason Kelce on ‘New Heights' podcast: What we learned
In one of the most highly anticipated sports and pop culture crossovers of the year, Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce hosted his girlfriend, pop megastar Taylor Swift, on a new episode of his podcast 'New Heights,' with his brother, Jason. With more than 1 million people on the podcast's YouTube channel, the conversation veered between Swift's discussion of her new album, 'The Life of a Showgirl.' It has been a big week for both Swift and Travis Kelce: On Tuesday morning at 12:12 a.m. ET, Swift announced the upcoming release of her new album. Later that morning, GQ dropped its September cover, featuring Travis Kelce, along with a long profile and a dozen highly stylized photos. Advertisement The Athletic counts dozens of Swifties among its staff. To make sense of the episode and increase your 'sports x culture' social currency throughout the discourse following the episode's release, Jayna Bardahl, Charlotte Carroll and Hannah Vanbiber provided these key takeaways: Taylor knows ball Finding out that Swift is the one who told Kelce the Chiefs drafted Xavier Worthy in the first round of the 2024 draft is exactly the football info I needed from this episode! That she became 'obsessed' with the sport is even more exciting for all of the football loving Swifties and those who embraced the sport as a result of her – which we know there were quite a few fans who became Kansas City and NFL followers because of her. It's quite wild hearing her journey to finding the sport when I reported a piece on the crossover after she attended her first appearance at a Chiefs game back in September 2023. This quote from Ian Trombetta, NFL SVP of social and influencer marketing, still feels so relevant: 'We knew it was going to be a culture moment like we haven't seen (in some time).' Two years later, that moment is still in progress. – Charlotte Carroll Swift's football fandom (with an Easter Egg?) We got a good laugh out of Swift admitting her lack of football knowledge when she first met Travis. 'I thought it was like Jared Goff is here and Josh Allen is here, and they blow a whistle and they go at each other,' Swift said. But I also think we can take a lot from Travis' reaction. He didn't belittle her. He smiled with her and said he understood why she wouldn't know the rules if she didn't follow the sport before. That's a great way to welcome new fans to sports, or any of our interests, for that matter. And then of course, Swift had to flex the football IQ she's gained since then: 'We're talking about Cover 2, Cover 4, Cover 0, man coverage,' she said. 'I'm not ready to be an analyst right now, but give me 16 months.' Was that an Easter Egg? Swift is rarely random in her comments, especially with numbers. Mark Dec. 2026 on the calendar, the month of her 37th birthday. — Jayna Bardahl Taylor Swift says she "became obsessed" with the NFL since she started dating Travis Kelce. Exhibit A: — The Athletic (@TheAthletic) August 13, 2025 Sports documentary? I feel kind of how I felt when I watched 'The Last Dance': A unique, new look behind the scenes of an all-time great. Taylor Swift has written about love for her entire career. This is the first time we're seeing her actually in love in real time. It's quite a moment for a lifelong Swiftie. But then, too, there's something here for everyone, where they smartly frame their connection around their competitive natures. Advertisement 'Who would be that stubborn?' Taylor asks about her re-recording project, to knowing laughter from both Kelces. 'I knew she had that bad kid in her,' Travis says, with Jason correcting him: 'Savvy kid.' — Hannah Vanbiber Pop star = Athlete, competitor, elite performer A lot of the pod was about the connective tissue between being a star athlete and being a pop star. You can almost hear them correcting the idea that being a pop star isn't one of the most physically and mentally grueling jobs in the world: Being an elite athlete and an elite performer is hard, it takes grit, it takes perfectionism, it takes defiance and a crazy competitive drive. Travis emphasized the dedication, intelligence and grit he sees in Taylor's approach to her work — like any athlete who wants to be the GOAT in their sport. 'I've seen how you make music. The effort, the strategy behind even one album. And you've been doing this your whole life.' 'We compare physical therapy stories,' Taylor said, comparing the conditioning and physical demands of being on tour to Travis being in season with the NFL. When she insisted she was not an athlete, both Kelces immediately cut her off: 'Don't say that.' 'Field, stage, they're the same thing, we just call them different things,' Swift said. 'In the Eras tour and seeing the power skip, I knew you were an athlete,' Travis said. 'Not everybody can power-skip in heels.' I'd like to see an NFL player perform for three hours in heels. And then do it again the following night. – Vanbiber Super Bowl Halftime Show mentioned Swift is talking about her introduction to sports, which was mostly hearing her dad yell about the Eagles (she's from Pennsylvania) while she was upstairs writing music and learning guitar. She said she would go to sporting events as a kid to sing the national anthem. And that she watched every Super Bowl HALFTIME, but not the game. I'd like to see her do either on the NFL field. — Bardahl Advertisement Travis Kelce: A man of the people Travis was playing video games when Taylor walked in to tell him she'd bought back her masters. He put his headset down and said, 'Guys, I gotta go.' I love how the brothers so deeply understood her quest to get back her masters; from one competitor to another: 'It's how your legacy is shaped.' They love seeing her win. She got that dog in her. — Vanbiber 'Swiftie Semiotics' 🤝 Sports Analytics The only thing in the world that compares to the intensity of Swiftie Easter-egg hunting, numerology, signs and symbols? (I call it 'Swiftie Semiotics.') People in their fantasy football league. — Vanbiber Travis — who has played in stadiums around the world — says it was nothing like being on stage during the Eras Tour. Taylor brought him out on stage at Wembley in London. He said he felt as small as an ant and basically blacked out. 'Don't drop her, just don't drop her,' he said. — Vanbiber Taylor watched Jason meet the Royal Family Oh, to be a fly on that wall! She says she just looked on as he tried to decide whether or not to put a beer down; the beer is more authentic, but could be disrespectful?? Lmao — Vanbiber One benefit of Swift being on-screen during NFL games? Travis finally got to see his family in the suite! — Vanbiber Both emphasize family It hits me yet again that Taylor, like me, is a Millennial, entering into the stage of life where it becomes necessary to care for parents. Even the most famous woman in the world gets those scary calls in the middle of the night. Loved her saying her dad, after surviving a huge heart surgery, joked: 'I come from a competitive family.' — Vanbiber 'Are you bready for it?' Swift revealed in her free time from the Eras tour – somehow in the middle of releasing her 12th album in the same 24 hours that we all have — that she's gotten into sourdough. She's just like us, wonderful bread puns included. Except she's sending her loaves to Travis at training camp. Swift is even workshopping funfetti sourdough for Jason's daughters who love the rainbow colors. As Swift said herself, 'It's a loaf story, baby just say yeast.' – Carroll Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
Bloomberg
a few seconds ago
- Bloomberg
White House Fires Another Member of Puerto Rico Oversight Board
The White House has fired another member of the watchdog board that oversees Puerto Rico's finances. 'The Oversight Board has been informed by the White House that the administration of President Donald Trump terminated Andrew G. Biggs from his position as a member,' the board said in a statement on Wednesday. The body is still continuing its day-to-day operations and its work maintaining the 'fiscal responsibility' of the island, the statement said.
Fox News
a few seconds ago
- Fox News
Actor applauds ‘terrific' announcement of Trump to host Kennedy Center Honors
Actor and director Robert Davi discusses President Donald Trump's hosting of The Kennedy Center Honors on 'The Ingraham Angle.'
