High school girls allege track meet officials forced them to take off 'Protect Girls Sports' shirts
EXCLUSIVE: California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) track and field officials have been accused of forcefully telling teen track meet athletes to remove their shirts that read "Protect Girls Sports" at a postseason event. The CIF has acknowledged to Fox News Digital that the incidents did occur.
The CIF Southern Section Division 3 Prelims at Yorba Linda High School on Saturday erupted into a political rally over the issue of trans inclusion in girls' sports with multiple competitors and attendees wearing the shirts, hoisting picket signs and speaking out at a press conference.
The protests came in response to a biologically male trans athlete who competed in the girls' high jump, long jump and triple jump for Jurupa Valley High School.
Multiple female competitors have told Fox News Digital that officials at the meet allegedly approached them and told them to remove the shirts, and did not give the girls the liberty to go and take them off elsewhere. The girls allege the officials made them take off the shirts immediately, under the officials' supervision, and didn't give them any additional time or opportunities to do it elsewhere.
"They didn't let us go and do anything unless we removed the shirt," 15-year-old Brea Olinda High School student Lilly Ingallinera, said. "They said, 'you have to remove it right now!' … He didn't leave until we took it off."
Ingallinera added that she found the official's orders "weird," and preferred it if he asked her coach or a female official to relay the message instead.
"I thought it was a little weird that this grown man was coming up to us and persistently saying 'I need you to take it off.' I think they should have told our coaches to come tell us instead of this official that I know is older than us and a grown adult and I feel like either a woman should have done it or he should have done it on the speaker telling everyone and not just individually telling everyone," Ingallinera said.
Fellow Brea Olinda student Julia Teven, 17, alleged that the official who confronted her wouldn't "take no for an answer."
"You could tell he was not going to take no for an answer," Teven said. "He was standing right there watching us like 'you better take it off'. That's basically how it kind of felt."
Teven and Crean Lutheran student Reese Hogan, 16, alleged that officials made them feel that if they did not take off their shirts, then they would be disqualified from the event.
"It wasn't said but it was implied that if I didn't take my shirt off then and there, then something could potentially happen to my spot, it wasn't said but it was implied," Hogan said. "Throughout the day it was kind of getting a little bit more stricter… getting a little bit more hostile with their voices… they never said anything about getting disqualified, but it was kind of implied by the tone of their voice and the way that they said things."
The girls alleged the officials at the meet went up to other athletes who wore the "Protect Girls Sports" shirts and made those athletes remove them as well.
Hogan added that she was forced to remove her shirt on the field during warm-ups and then again at the gate after stepping out of the venue and trying to come back in, while her hands were full of other supplies.
"I was like 'Is it okay if I walk in and take it off? I don't really have hands right now' and she was like 'No, you're going to have to take it off, you can't come in here with that shirt on,'" Hogan alleged. "They kind of were just making us take the shirts off wherever we were."
Teven, Hogan and fellow Crean Lutheran student Olivia Viola said the officials told them the reasoning behind asking to remove the shirts was because the shirts weren't official school uniforms. However, the girls also said that other athletes wearing gear with college names or other brands that weren't official school uniforms weren't asked to remove their shirts.
"I just found it really, like, really, it felt like it was unfair, just kind of targeted at, at what we were standing for, because the shirts weren't saying anything offensive. It wasn't derogatory. All it was saying was to protect women's sports," Viola said. "And it was really clear that they only wanted our shirts off because of what we were supporting and didn't care about the actual role because of the other athletes that we're wearing."
The CIF provided a statement to Fox News Digital confirming that the girls were asked to remove the shirts.
"Per the CIF Southern Section Playoff Bulletin, all athletes must be dressed in proper, school issued, track uniforms. The student-athletes were asked to comply with this while in the on-field event area, as they were wearing said shirts over their school issued uniform," the statement read.
The trans athlete ultimately finished in the top 10 in the girls' high jump, long jump and finished in first place in the triple jump. By virtue of placing in the top-10 in all those events, the athlete will advance in the state semifinals, while the three female athletes who finished in 11th place in those events will all miss out.
The girls who competed in those events had to wait through an hours-long intermission after temperatures exceeded 100 degrees Farenheit, putting the event in a weather delay due to dangerous heat levels.
All four girls claim that the police presence at the meet was heightened to levels they had never seen at a high school track meet, as the event became a hotbed for debate over the national conflict over trans athletes in girls' sports. Jurupa Valley's trans competitor has prompted controversy throughout the season, breaking long-held girls' records at various meets.
In addition to the shirts and a press conference where students, parents and community leaders spoke out against the CIF and California state government for continuing to protect trans inclusion, the crowd of spectators in attendance boisterously either cheered or jeered the trans competitor throughout the day.
Footage on social media shows some spectators chanting "that's a boy!" at the athlete, while Viola said other fans only cheered for the trans athlete during the event while remaining silent for the female competitors.
"I know it was like, really, really split, specifically, like when he was jumping, and it was like you could visibly see it, almost like it felt like half the stadium was, like, against it. And then there was like a little chunk of people over here that would, like, cheer really loudly for everything he did," Viola said.
"It just was bothersome to me. It was a little bit sad to hear people cheering louder for the biological male competing in a female sport than the females competing in the female sports. That part was just a little bit, that part was saddening to me."
However, the four girls also expressed sympathy for the athlete over the insults that were hurled at it by the other spectators.
"I don't, I don't condone the like, the bullying, the yelling of this person. I think it's 100% on the people in authority who are allowing it to happen," Viola said.
Teven and Ingallinera say they even spoke to the athlete during breaks on Saturday, and don't believe the athlete is at fault for the situation
"I genuinely believe he doesn't have a harmful intent towards girls sports. I think it's the kind of like CIF allowing him that's kind of put him in his position," Teven said. "I think genuinely, he's just, like, being enabled by the CIF, and he's just taking his opportunity presented to him."
Ingallinera even said the athlete was "very nice" and believes the CIF is putting the athlete in an unfair position.
"I did talk to this guy, and he was very, he was very respectful, very kind. He didn't really say anything hurtful things. I didn't say anything rude to him. And I was just like, there he was very nice," Ingallinera said. "I think that if CIF didn't allow them to compete, they would be competing with the guys division instead of the girls."
The CIF is currently under investigation by the U.S. Department of Education for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls' sports, and potential Title IX violations.
California was one of the first states to openly defy President Donald Trump's "Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports" executive order after he signed it on Feb. 5.
"The CIF provides students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete in education-based experiences in compliance with California law [Education Code section 221.5. (f)] which permits students to participate in school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, consistent with the student's gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the student's records," the CIF previously said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
California Governor Gavin Newsom addressed the issue during an episode of his podcast in early March.
"Well, I think it's an issue of fairness," Newsom said to conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. "I completely agree with you on that. It's deeply unfair.
"So that's easy to call out the unfairness of that. There's also a humility and a grace… these poor people are more likely to commit suicide, have anxiety and depression, and the way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with as well.
"So both things I can hold in my hand. How can we address this issue with the kind of decency that I think you know is inherent in you, but not always expressed on the issue?
"The question you're asking is the question we've been asking ourselves for months and haven't been able to answer. What is that line? How can you make this fair? I haven't been able to figure it out, and I'm about as transparent about this as anybody out there, especially in my party on this. To the extent someone can and do it in a way that's respectful and responsible and could find the kind of balance, then I'm open to that discussion."
Fox News Digital reached out to Newsom's office on the latest controversy but has not heard back.
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
CNN
35 minutes ago
- CNN
LA protesters and police in standoff as Trump doubles National Guard deployment
Update: Date: 18 min ago Title: Protesters outside US Embassy in Mexico City call for end to immigration raids across the border Content: Protesters in Mexico City staged a demonstration outside the US Embassy on Monday, calling for an end to sweeping immigration raids across the border. Video captured by Reuters showed people waving Mexican and US flags and burning an effigy resembling US President Donald Trump. 'We cannot remain silent as the Trump administration escalates its war on our communities in the United States,' said activist Alejandro Marinero from Migrant Organization Aztlan. 'Immigration policy is not a party issue, but a class issue. It is the tool of a system that seeks to divide us, exploit us and keep us in the shadows to ensure its profits at the expense of our humanity,' he told Reuters. Update: Date: 42 min ago Title: Thousands rally in San Francisco against ICE raids Content: Thousands of people marched through San Francisco's Civic Center and Mission neighborhoods on Monday night in protests that were 'overwhelmingly peaceful,' police said. Demonstrators rallied against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids across the country and expressed solidarity with immigrant communities, CNN affiliate KGO reported. 'At the very end of the night, two small groups broke off and committed vandalism and other criminal acts,' the San Francisco Police Department said. Police said they detained multiple people who refused to comply with orders, made arrests, and are currently addressing one unresolved situation. 'I'm deeply concerned about what's going on in Los Angeles and all around the country. California, we are better because of our diversity, and for people to be torn away from school graduations, torn away from their children, that's not right. We have to come out here and tell people that's not right,' Holly Minch, who marched with a sign that read 'MELT ICE,' told KGO. The police said they coordinated with public safety agencies under the leadership of San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie to 'protect numerous First Amendment actions' in the affected neighborhoods. On Sunday, about 150 people, including some under the age of 18, were arrested near the Immigration Services building. Police said the arrests were made after protesters ignored dispersal orders and engaged in acts of violence and vandalism. Anti-ICE protests have popped up around the country, including in New York, Atlanta, Seattle, Dallas and Louisville. Update: Date: 57 min ago Title: Law enforcement helicopters have been circling above protests, flight tracker shows Content: Helicopters from the LAPD and Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department circled the areas of Boyle Heights and Little Tokyo throughout the day on Monday, according to data from Flightradar24. Earlier in the night, several police helicopters and a plane deployed by the California Highway Patrol were flying over the downtown area. By midnight, only two police helicopters remained airborne. Since protests erupted over the weekend, authorities have maintained a consistent presence in the air, with multiple helicopters sighted above protest zones all day yesterday. Update: Date: 1 hr 23 min ago Title: In pictures: Protesters clash with police in Downtown Los Angeles on Monday Content: Update: Date: 1 hr 23 min ago Title: Who is protesting in LA? Content: The protests appear divided into separate groups: progressive citizens who felt called to defend the rights of the undocumented, and protesters who appeared determined to drag the city into violent chaos. A senior law enforcement source told CNN that intelligence analysts have been conducting assessments on the crowds that gathered Sunday night. They found the many of the protesters were motivated by the recent immigration raids and disdain for the federal government's deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles. But some protesters, the intelligence source said, fit law enforcement profiles of so-called 'professional rioters,' who continually seek out confrontation with law enforcement. Defending 'La Raza': Unión del Barrio, an organization whose members are dedicated to defending the rights of 'la raza' — or Mexican and indigenous people — within the US, praised the efforts to fight back against ICE and other agencies. The Los Angeles community has 'the moral authority and universal right to defend our people from kidnappings and family separation,' a spokesman said. Toll on vulnerable communities: After being informed ICE agents were questioning workers at a Pasadena hotel, Pablo Alvarado, the co-executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, began calling for protests to protect vulnerable immigrant communities throughout the city. 'The Pasadena community showed up in large numbers and the message was loud and clear, we don't want to see your armored vehicles, men in masks coming to our communities to pick people up to rip families apart.' But, Alvarado added, he felt the violence that spread throughout the city in response to the raids was tainting their cause. Read the full story. Update: Date: 1 hr 23 min ago Title: Analysis: LA's crisis rests on what Trump does next Content: Donald Trump is talking and acting like an authoritarian as he escalates a constitutional clash with California over his migration crackdown. Much now depends on whether he's simply talking tough or if he's ready to take an already-tense nation across a fateful line in his zeal for strongman rule. On Monday, the president of the United States — the country seen as the world's top steward of democracy for 80 years — endorsed the arrest of the Democratic governor of the nation's most populous state. 'I think it would be a great thing,' Trump said. Trump's decision to deploy troops despite the opposition of California Gov. Gavin Newsom represented the latest example of his willingness to flex extraordinary executive power and marked a break with a first term when he was often talked out of his extreme impulses by establishment officials. For all Trump's multiple previous challenges to the rule of law and democracy, a grave new chapter may be opening. The trajectory of the crisis could now turn on whether Trump follows through on his dictator's theatrics by crossing lines not approached by modern presidents — notably on the use of troops in a law enforcement capacity. It may also rely on the restraint of protesters, who would play into Trump's hands by taking part in more unrest that creates alarming television pictures that can fuel Trump's dystopian rhetoric. Creating or escalating a law-and-order crisis or threat to public security and then using it to justify the use of the military on domestic soil would mirror the methodology of tyrannical leaders throughout history. Read the full analysis. Update: Date: 1 hr 23 min ago Title: Newsom hasn't done anything to warrant arrest, Trump's border czar says Content: White House border czar Tom Homan joined CNN's Kaitlan Collins to discuss comments President Donald Trump made suggesting Homan arrest California Governor Gavin Newsom.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
A look at the ‘less lethal' weapons authorities used to crack down on Los Angeles protests
Late Sunday, as protesters against federal immigration raids clashed with law enforcement, the Los Angeles Police Department's Central Division sent out a warning: 'Less Lethal munitions have been authorized,' officials wrote on X, ordering crowds in Downtown Los Angeles to disperse. 'Less lethal munitions may cause pain and discomfort.' Over the weekend, police used a standard variety of tools to disperse crowds and quell protests that had devolved into violence: Protesters lit self-driving cars on fire. Two motorcyclists drove into a skirmish line of officers, injuring two. And LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell, condemning the 'disgusting' violence, alleged on Sunday evening a Molotov cocktail had been thrown at officers. Authorities responded with force. So far, CNN has documented the deployment of flash-bangs, tear gas, pepper balls, rubber bullets and bean bag rounds, as well as more traditional gear such as batons. These weapons – often described as 'less lethal,' 'less-than-lethal' or 'non-lethal' – are those 'explicitly designed and primarily employed to incapacitate … while minimizing fatalities, permanent injury to personnel, and undesired damage to property, facilities, materiel, and the environment,' according to a Department of Defense directive. Prev Next That does not mean they are harmless: After the 2020 protests in response to the police killing of George Floyd, researchers found many people suffered injuries from less lethal weapons – particularly rubber bullets. Here's a look at the equipment authorities have used: Authorities have used several tools that a 2025 report by the non-partisan Congressional Research Service noted for their ability to incapacitate using blunt force. Foremost among these is the baton, which the CRS report described as the oldest kinetic less lethal weapon. Also called a nightstick, the baton is essentially a club with a handle, often used for crowd control. A CNN field crew witnessed officers pushing and striking protesters with batons Sunday afternoon. Also included are blunt-force projectiles, such as rubber bullets and bean bag rounds – both of which were seen in use this weekend. These weapons are used for long-range crowd control, according to the CRS report, and are meant to cause 'temporary blunt-force trauma to the skin.' Rubber bullets are larger than their lethal counterparts, and some include cores made of metal or wood. Though they are considered 'less-than-lethal,' there are cases where they have been found to disable, disfigure and even kill. Lauren Tomasi, the US correspondent for CNN affiliate Nine News in Australia, was reporting on the scene Sunday when she was struck in the leg by a rubber bullet. The bullet left her sore but she was otherwise unharmed, Tomasi's network said. Bean bag rounds are small, lead pellet-filled pouches, usually fired from a shotgun or a specialized launcher. Each pouch is typically filled with 1.4 oz of lead pellets. Law enforcement agencies in Los Angeles have also turned to chemical irritant devices, which rely on chemical compounds to irritate the sinuses, lungs and skin, causing enough pain to render an individual temporarily unable to function. Tear gas is one such tool, and commonly known. Also referred to as a 'riot control agent,' tear gas can cause excessive tearing, burning or blurred vision and a runny nose or a burning sensation inside the nose, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can also cause difficulty swallowing, chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath and a feeling of choking. Law enforcement agents usually disperse tear gas – which actually comes in a powder form – from grenades or a canister, per the CRS report. Pepper spray is similar but deployed using a hand-held canister for 'close-proximity encounters.' The compressed gas, the CRS report says, propels the chemical irritant at the target, who typically does not need medical attention afterwards. Pepper balls marry the effects of a chemical irritant with the delivery of a blunt-force projectile: Pepper spray balls, according to the CRS report, rupture on impact, releasing a chemical irritant similar to those used for tear gas. CNN footage captured law enforcement using pepper balls, spray and tear gas in an attempt to disperse protesters Sunday outside the Metropolitan Detention Center. CNN has also seen the repeated use of flash-bangs, which rely on a bright flash of light to obscure a target's vision and hearing. Flash-bangs – thrown either by hand or with a launcher – use an 'explosive propellant to emit a bright flash of light … and ear-piercing sound,' the CRS report says. While their principal purpose is to help police make a 'tactical entry' – disorienting barricaded suspects, for example – they are sometimes used for crowd control. CNN's Harmeet Kaur, AJ Willingham and Sarah-Grace Mankarious contributed to this report.
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
Los Angeles Clashes Continue, Protesters Detained in Austin
Los Angeles saw a fourth night of clashes between police and demonstrators as the Trump administration escalated its response. Protests also took place in Texas. Video distributed by the Associated Press showed showed some demonstrators being detained by authorities in Austin. (This video contains graphic images and expletives. Source: AP) (Source: Bloomberg)
