Latest news with #CaliforniaGirlsStateFinals
Sky News AU
6 days ago
- General
- Sky News AU
Donald Trump threatens ‘large-scale' fines on California after trans athlete wins girls' track events despite prior warnings
President Trump declared early Tuesday that 'large scale fines' will be slapped on California after a transgender athlete racked up a pair of wins at a girls' high school track and field championship, despite the commander-in-chief's prior warnings against allowing such entries. AB Hernandez, of Jurupa Valley High School in Southern California, captured first place in the girls' high jump and triple jump events at the May 31 meet in Clovis. 'A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so,' Trump declared on Truth Social. 'As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!' Last week, under pressure from the Trump administration, the California Interscholastic Federation, which governs high school sports in the state, adjusted its rules to allow biological females who lost qualifying position to transgender athletes to compete. The CIF also awarded first-place medals to the best biological female athlete in both events, creating an awkward situation in which Hernandez had to share the first-place step with a rival. Hernandez easily won the girls' high jump with a leap of 5 feet, 7 inches with no failed attempts. Female competitors Jillene Wetteland and Lelanie Laruelle also cleared that mark, allowing them to share the podium with Hernandez. Additionally, Hernandez easily won the triple jump with a distance of 42 feet, 2 inches. The closest rival was Kira Grant Hatcher with a jump of 40 feet, 5 inches. Trump previously warned that federal funding would be 'held back, maybe permanently,' if the Golden State didn't adhere to his February executive order to safeguard women's sports. The president also said at the time that he would order 'local authorities, if necessary, to not allow' a transgender athlete to compete in the women's track and field contest, though he did not mention Hernandez by name. Newsom's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In March, Newsom made a shocking public admission to conservative pundit Charlie Kirk that he believes it's 'deeply unfair' to allow transgender athletes to compete against biological women. The Trump administration previously launched an inquiry into Maine to determine whether it was breaking Title IX rules by allowing transgender athletes to compete, putting at least $250 million in annual federal funding for the state in the crosshairs. Last month, the White House agreed to unfreeze funding for Maine amid litigation and negotiations. Also last month, the Justice Department announced plans to investigate whether California's School Success and Opportunity Act, which allows transgender students to compete in women's sports, violates Title IX. On Monday, Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, threatened to take legal action against California over that policy. Originally published as Donald Trump threatens 'large-scale' fines on California after trans athlete wins girls' track events despite prior warnings
The Sun
7 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Trump threatens fines against California over trans athlete
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has vowed to impose 'large scale' fines against California after a transgender high school athlete's victory at state track and field championships last weekend. AB Hernandez, 16, won two gold medals and a silver at the athletics meet in Clovis amid an outcry over her participation. Hernandez shared her place on the medal podium with rivals under modified rules applied specifically to her events designed to ensure that 'biological female student-athletes' were not deprived of winning medals. Trump, who had protested against Hernandez's participation last week, said in a Truth Social post late Monday that California authorities would be fined as a result. 'A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so,' Trump wrote. 'As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!' added Trump, using the disparaging moniker he reserves for California's Governor Gavin Newsom. The US Department of Justice last week announced 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. On Monday, it followed up that announcement with a letter to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) warning the body that the rules which allowed Hernandez to compete violated federal law. The Justice Department ordered the CIF to confirm in writing by June 9 that its bylaw would not be implemented. 'Scientific evidence shows that upsetting the historical status quo and forcing girls to compete against males would deprive them of athletic opportunities and benefits because of their sex,' the letter from assistant US attorney general Harmeet Dhillon read. 'Therefore, you cannot implement a policy allowing males to compete alongside girls, because such a policy would deprive girls of athletic opportunities and benefits based solely on their biological sex, in violation of the Equal Protection Clause.'
The Sun
7 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Trump Threatens Fines Over Trans Athlete's Victory in CA
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has vowed to impose 'large scale' fines against California after a transgender high school athlete's victory at state track and field championships last weekend. AB Hernandez, 16, won two gold medals and a silver at the athletics meet in Clovis amid an outcry over her participation. Hernandez shared her place on the medal podium with rivals under modified rules applied specifically to her events designed to ensure that 'biological female student-athletes' were not deprived of winning medals. Trump, who had protested against Hernandez's participation last week, said in a Truth Social post late Monday that California authorities would be fined as a result. 'A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so,' Trump wrote. 'As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!' added Trump, using the disparaging moniker he reserves for California's Governor Gavin Newsom. The US Department of Justice last week announced 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. On Monday, it followed up that announcement with a letter to the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) warning the body that the rules which allowed Hernandez to compete violated federal law. The Justice Department ordered the CIF to confirm in writing by June 9 that its bylaw would not be implemented. 'Scientific evidence shows that upsetting the historical status quo and forcing girls to compete against males would deprive them of athletic opportunities and benefits because of their sex,' the letter from assistant US attorney general Harmeet Dhillon read. 'Therefore, you cannot implement a policy allowing males to compete alongside girls, because such a policy would deprive girls of athletic opportunities and benefits based solely on their biological sex, in violation of the Equal Protection Clause.'
Korea Herald
7 days ago
- General
- Korea Herald
Trump threatens California with fines over trans athlete
WASHINGTON (AFP) — US President Donald Trump has vowed to impose "large scale" fines against California after a transgender high school athlete's victory at state track and field championships last weekend. AB Hernandez, 16, won two gold medals and a silver at the meet in Clovis, amid an outcry over her participation. Hernandez shared her place on the medal podium with rivals under modified rules applied specifically to her events designed to ensure that "biological female student-athletes" were not deprived of winning medals. Trump, who had protested against Hernandez's participation last week, said in a Truth Social post late Monday that California authorities would be fined as a result. "A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so," Trump wrote. "As Gov. Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!" added Trump, using the disparaging moniker he reserves for California's Gov. Gavin Newsom. The US Department of Justice last week announced 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. On Monday, it followed up that announcement with a letter to the California Interscholastic Federation warning the body that the rules that allowed Hernandez to compete violated federal law. The Justice Department ordered the CIF to confirm in writing by June 9 that its bylaw would not be implemented. "Scientific evidence shows that upsetting the historical status quo and forcing girls to compete against males would deprive them of athletic opportunities and benefits because of their sex," the letter from Assistant US Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon read. "Therefore, you cannot implement a policy allowing males to compete alongside girls, because such a policy would deprive girls of athletic opportunities and benefits based solely on their biological sex, in violation of the Equal Protection Clause."
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump Administration Targets California After Trans Athlete Wins Track Events
The Trump administration is going after California following a 16-year-old trans athlete's victories in a state track and field championship over the weekend. The 16-year-old, AB Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School in Riverside County, has made headlines and been at the center of protests in recent months simply for competing. Despite protests on Saturday, Hernandez won first place in the girls' high jump and triple jump at the State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis, California. Hernandez also finished second in the long jump. But because of a new rule instituted by the California Interscholastic Federation, multiple other student athletes also received medals in the categories that Hernandez competed in. As such, Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also won first place in the high jump, and Kira Gant Hatcher also won first in the triple jump. Brooke White also placed second in the long jump. 'A Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so. As Governor Gavin Newscum fully understands, large scale fines will be imposed!!!' the president wrote on Truth Social on Monday. On the same day, Harmeet K. Dhillon, the head of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice, sent a transphobic letter to public school districts in California claiming that the state's law allowing students to compete in sports based on their gender identity rather than the identity assigned to them at birth is 'facially unconstitutional.' 'The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex,' Dhillon, a legal adviser to Trump, an anti-voting rights and anti-LGBTQ rights extremist, argued in the letter. 'Knowingly depriving female students of athletic opportunities and benefits on the basis of their sex would constitute unconstitutional sex discrimination under the Equal Protection Clause.' 'Scientific evidence shows that upsetting the historical status quo and forcing girls to compete against males would deprive them of athletic opportunities and benefits because of their sex,' she also wrote, without clarifying where to find the evidence. The letter gives California a week to fall in line with the Justice Department's interpretation of the Equal Protection Clause, which seems to complement Trump's February executive order. Trump's order aims to block 'male competitive participation in women's sports' and 'rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities.' In a letter to superintendents and administrators in the state on Tuesday, Tony Thurmond, the California superintendent of public instruction, reportedly said that the department would review the request and respond by June 9, but that the letter isn't the law. According to The Athletic, Thurmond argued that the Equal Protection Clause 'does not require that athletic teams be segregated by 'biological sex.'' 'The DOJ assertions are not in themselves law, and the letter by itself cannot be an enforcement mechanism,' Thurmond also reportedly said. The news comes after the California Interscholastic Federation, California's high school sports governing body, expanded eligibility for the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships rather than excluding anyone from the competition. 'The CIF values all of our student-athletes and we will continue to uphold our mission of providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete while complying with California law and Education Code,' the organization continued. On Sunday, Nereyda Hernandez, AB Hernandez's mom, told local outlet KCRA that she was a Trump supporter, but her daughter's perspective and treatment changed her views. 'Just talking to AB, and I started analyzing things differently,' Nereyda Hernandez said. 'It's too much for me because we're people and I don't feel we're being treated as such.' She also told KCRA that the protests during her daughter's big day were a little distracting, but that she was 'proud of her.' 'A kid is more mature than a lot of these adults putting her in this situation. So I'm just happy, yeah, I could brag. That's my baby,' she added. Representatives for the Jurupa Unified School District and the California Interscholastic Federation, respectively, did not immediately respond to HuffPost's request for comment. California Sports Org Expands Finals Eligibility After Trump Tantrum Over Trans Athlete California Is Investigating Paramount Over Its Alleged Settlement Offer To Trump Judge Rules Federal Prisons Must Continue Providing Hormone Therapy To Transgender Inmates
