Trans Athlete Sparks Debate Ahead of California Finals
A TRANSGENDER high school athlete was preparing to compete at California's state championships on Friday after drawing criticism from President Donald Trump and reigniting debate about trans athletes in sport.
AB Hernandez, 16, is due to compete in the long jump, triple jump and high jump during preliminary rounds of the California State Track & Field Championships in Clovis, outside of Fresno.
Hernandez's participation at the meeting has been the subject of intense controversy, with the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) scrambling to adjust competition rules this week as anger grew on all sides.
On Tuesday, CIF officials announced that entry rules had been modified so that biological females were not excluded from competition due to the participation of trans athletes.
A day later, the CIF issued another rule change -- specifically targeting events in which Hernandez is competing -- which mandates that any athlete who misses out on a podium finish behind a trans athlete would still receive a medal.
'If necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event,' the federation announced in a statement.
The last-minute rules changes came after days of controversy which have included Hernandez being targeted by Trump on social media.
The US President, who did not mention Hernandez by name, threatened to withhold federal funding from California in future if she was allowed to compete in this week's championships, which got under way on Friday with finals due on Saturday.
'As a female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,' Trump wrote.
'Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to...This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!'
Trump's comment was followed by an announcement from the US Department of Justice that it had launched an investigation into whether California had violated Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding.
'The investigation is to determine whether California, its senior legal, educational, and athletic organizations, and the school district are engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of sex,' the DOJ said in a statement.
Local and state officials have also criticised Hernandez's participation, calling for the teenager to be prevented from competing.
At a press conference on Thursday, Clovis mayor Diane Pearce called for CIF to block Hernandez's participation following their rule amendments earlier in the week.
'Today, I call on CIF to do the right thing. Updates one and two were not enough, but the third time can be the charm,' Pearce said.
'CIF still has a chance to make it right by removing biological males from girls' sports.'
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