Latest news with #CaliforniaInterscholasticFederation
News.com.au
an hour ago
- Politics
- News.com.au
Trans athlete AB Hernandez sparks storm over podium celebration
Trans athlete AB Hernandez was seen grinning and flaunting medals after defeating female rivals at the California state track championship. Hernandez claimed gold in the high jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state finals – defying Donald Trump's executive order that bans trans athletes from women's sports. Violent protests erupted yesterday as the trans pupil, 16, sparked a heated row after competing in women's sports. Trump had said on social media that he was 'ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow' Hernandez to compete. But the CIF this week introduced a new policy that allowed an additional student to compete and win medals in the events where Hernandez qualified. This is why the trans athlete shared winning spots with at least one female rival. Hernandez claimed tied-first place in the varsity high jump final alongside Lelani Laruelle and Jillene Wetteland – both females. The trans athlete later won another first-place in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher – who trailed by just over a half-metre. But the sports row surrounding Hernandez took a dramatic turn yesterday after furious protesters gathered around the stadium to denounce the trans teen. They were seen carrying placards and boards outside the Veterans' Memorial Stadium, where the sporting event took place. A banner reading 'NO BOYS IN GIRLS' SPORTS!' was flown above the sporting venue during the high school track-and-field championships. The protests quickly turned violent after one person was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Clovis police Sargeant Chris Hutchison told the Chronicle. He said the person – understood to be an LGBTQ activist – allegedly used a Pride flag to smash a car window, leaving a person injured. During the heats, furious high school parents berated Hernandez's mother for the trans athlete's dominant victory. The video, which has now gone viral on TikTok, shows the parents hounding Hernandez's mother for allowing the teen to compete. One of the parents can be heard yelling at the mother: 'What a coward of a woman you are allowing that.' Hernandez's story previously made headlines after another teenage girl, who the athlete beat to first place in a separate contest, waited for Hernandez to descend from the podium before moving to pose in the top spot. In the TikTok, the parent can also be heard shouting: 'Your mental illness is on your son, coward.' More than half of the US states have implemented bans on trans youth athletes participating since 2020. But California state law allows the participation of trans women and girls in women's sports. Trump posted on Truth Social: '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.' His message refers to an Executive Order from February titled 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports'. In an interview with Capital & Main, Hernandez, from Jurupa Valley, California, said: 'There's nothing I can do about people's actions, just focus on my own.' The trans pupil faced heckling and protesters in the crowd at a track meet earlier this month and was accompanied by campus security and Sheriff's Department deputies, CNN has reported.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Trans athlete wins 2 girls events at California track and field finals
CLOVIS, Calif. (AP) — A transgender athlete bested the competition Saturday at the California high school track and field championship to take home gold in the girls high jump and the triple jump at a meet that has stirred controversy and drawn national attention. AB Hernandez competed under a new rule change that may be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body. California's governing body changed the rules ahead of the meet to allow more girls to compete and medal in events in which Hernandez competed. Advertisement Hernandez finished the high jump with a mark of 5 feet, 7 inches (1.7 meters), with no failed attempts. Co-winners Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also cleared that height after each logged a failed attempt. The three shared the first-place win, smiling as they stepped together onto the podium. Hernandez wrapped up the night with a first place finish in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher who trailed by just over a half-meter. Earlier in the afternoon, Hernandez placed second in the long jump. Olympians Marion Jones and Tara Davis-Woodhall previously set state championship records in the long jump in 1993 and 2017, respectively, both surpassing 22 feet (6.7 meters). This year's winner, Loren Webster, topped 21 feet (6.40 meters), with Hernandez trailing by a few inches. The California Interscholastic Federation announced the new policy earlier this week in response to Hernandez's success heading into the championships. Under the policy, the federation allowed an additional student to compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified. Advertisement The two-day championship kicked off Friday in sweltering heat at a high school near Fresno. Temperatures reached the triple digits during Saturday's finals. The atmosphere was relatively quiet despite critics — including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump — calling for Hernandez to be barred from competing. Some critics wore pink bracelets and T-shirts that read, 'Save Girls' Sports.' During Friday's qualifying events, an aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour with a banner: 'No Boys in Girls' Sports!' Two groups that oppose transgender athletes participating in women's sports — the Independent Council on Women's Sports and Women Are Real — took credit for flying the banner. California at center of national debate Advertisement The federation's rule change reflected efforts to find a middle ground in the debate over trans girls' participation in youth sports. '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,' the group said in a statement after announcing its rule change. A recent AP-NORC poll found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women's sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about 9 in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats. The federation announced the change after Trump threatened to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The federation said it decided on the change before then. Advertisement The U.S. Department of Justice also said it would investigate the federation and the district that includes Hernandez's high school to determine whether they violated federal sex discrimination law. California law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity. The federation said the rule opens the field to more 'biological female' athletes. One expert said the change may itself be discriminatory because it creates an extra spot for 'biological female' athletes but not for other trans athletes. The federation did not specify how it defines 'biological female' or how it would verify whether a competitor meets that definition. Advertisement Sophia Lorey, outreach director with California Family Council, was among those at the stadium Saturday. She said the federation's policy is not a fix for the issue and only ends up causing more confusion. 'At the end of the day,' Lorey said, 'it shows the girls that we know this is wrong and we're still letting it happen to you.' Hernandez told the publication Capital & Main this month that she cannot worry about critics. 'I'm still a child, you're an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person,' she said. Other students break records California's championship stands out from that of other states because of the sheer number of competitors. The state had the second-largest number of students participating in outdoor track and field in the nation during the 2023-2024 school year, behind Texas, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations. Advertisement The boys 100-meter heats also were a highlight, with junior Jaden Jefferson of De La Salle High School in Concord finishing in 10.01 seconds Friday, 0.19 seconds faster than a meet record set in 2023. But he fell just shy of making it count as a meet record with a final time of 10.27 seconds in Saturday's final. Athletes set new meet records in several events, including boys and girls relay races, hurdle competitions and the boys pole vault. ___ Associated Press writer Susan Montoya Bryan in Albuquerque, New Mexico, contributed to this report. ___ Austin is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Austin on X: @sophieadanna Sophie Austin And Jae Hong, The Associated Press
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Justice Department to investigate if California is violating Title IX over transgender athletes
(This story has been updated to add new information.) The Department of Justice said it will investigate whether a California law is violating Title IX, just a day after President Donald Trump warned he'd cut federal funding to the state for allowing transgender women and girls to compete in women's sports. The Department of Justice said it sent 'letters of legal notice,' including to state officials, that it is opening an investigation to determine whether Title IX is being violated by California's AB 1266, which requires that students be allowed to participate in sex-segregated school programs like sports teams and competitions consistent with their gender identity, regardless of their gender listed on their records. Title IX is a federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance, said the Department of Education. The letters were sent to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, and the California Interscholastic Federation, according to a news release on Wednesday, May 28. Additionally, the Jurupa Unified School District is a "target of this investigation" and was sent a letter of notice from the Department of Justice about the Title IX probe, according to a clarification issued to media later Wednesday. Jurupa Unified School District did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The California Department of Education cannot comment on a pending investigation, said Scott Roark, a public information officer. "We remain committed to defending and upholding California laws and all additional laws which ensure the rights of students, including transgender students, to be free from discrimination and harassment," the state attorney general's press office said in an emailed statement to the Desert Sun. "We will continue to closely monitor the Trump Administration's actions in this space." According to the news release sent by the Justice Department, the investigation is also to determine whether California and 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.' Earlier this year, the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights announced it would investigate the California Interscholastic Federation about transgender female student athletes participating in women's and girls' sports. The announcement comes after the president said in a post on Truth Social on May 27 that California 'continues to allow 'Men to play in women's sports illegally.'' The post referred to a transgender female student athlete in California, although it did not name the student. That student is reportedly a Jurupa Valley High School athlete. Trump's post said 'large-scale federal funding will be held back, maybe permanently' if an executive order, presumed to be one he signed in February, called Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports, is not followed. 'In the meantime, I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, not to allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals,' the post read. 'This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!' Related: Trump blasts transgender Riverside County girl being allowed in CIF state track finals USA TODAY reported in February that the executive order directs the Department of Education to pursue "enforcement actions" under Title IX, yet some legal experts question whether the Trump administration's interpretation of the law would hold sway in court. The Department of Justice said in its press release that it has filed a statement of interest in support of a lawsuit that challenges AB 1266, which was passed in 2013. 'The letters of legal notice were sent at the time the Justice Department filed a statement of interest in federal court in support of a lawsuit filed by and on behalf of girls' athletes to advance the appropriate interpretation of Title IX to ensure equal educational opportunities and prevent discrimination based on sex in federally funded schools and athletic programs,' the press release said. The California Interscholastic Federation announced on Tuesday, May 27, that it was implementing a pilot entry process for the upcoming 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships held in Clovis. 'Under this pilot entry process, any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section's automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet, and did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet, was extended an opportunity to participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships,' according to the announcement shared on social media. While the California Interscholastic Federation did not directly respond to the Desert Sun's emailed request for comment regarding the investigation from the Department of Justice, the Desert Sun was provided with a follow-up statement pertaining to its pilot entry process. According to the news release, 'a biological female student athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark will also be advanced to the finals' in the high jump, triple jump and long jump qualifying events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, if necessary. 'Additionally, 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 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 news release said. In California, it's estimated that only 1.93% of children ages 13 to 17 identify as transgender, according to a 2022 report from the Williams Institute, which describes itself as conducting independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy based at the UCLA School of Law. Additionally, in California, it's estimated that less than 1% of adults 18 years old and older identify as transgender. The Hill reported that NCAA President Charlie Baker said last year he was aware of 'less than 10' transgender athletes out of the thousands of athletes in the U.S. in NCAA schools. Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@ This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: DOJ to investigate California over transgender student athletes
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Has Trump responded to transgender student athlete's wins at CIF state track meet?
A Jurupa Valley High School transgender athlete swept into a national and political firestorm earned first and second place in several events at the California Interscholastic Federation State Track and Field Championships late May. AB Hernandez placed first in the girls high jump and girls triple jump and second in the girls long jump at the state championships held in Clovis May 30 and May 31. National attention has been fixed on the Southern California student athlete after President Donald Trump warned he'd cut federal funding to California if the state continued to allow transgender women and girls to compete in women's sports days before the state championships. While Trump's post did not name Hernandez, news reports quickly linked the president's comments to the Jurupa Unified high schooler. Hernandez shared the podium with her cisgender competitors, USA TODAY reported. It comes after the California Interscholastic Federation announced rule changes that allowed 'biological female' student athletes to receive the medal for the podium placement they would have earned had a transgender female athlete not competed. Hernandez also was part of a three-way tie for first in the high jump after all three competitors cleared the same height. The awards ceremonies after the events did not produce any protests or disruptions – according to New York Times reporting from the meet in Clovis – as some had feared if Hernandez won a state title. Trump has not shared anything on Truth Social, X or Facebook regarding Hernandez's placements at the state championships as of the morning of Sunday, June 1. The president previously said in a Truth Social post on May 27 that 'large-scale federal funding will be held back, maybe permanently' if the executive order he signed in February isn't followed. Called 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports,' the executive order targets transgender women and girls participating in women's sports. Trump also said in that Truth Social post on May 27 that he was 'ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow' the athlete, presumed to be AB Hernandez, to compete in a state finals event. The Jurupa Valley High School student's accomplishments come days after the Department of Justice announced that it was opening an investigation to determine whether state officials, the California Interscholastic Federation and Jurupa Unified School District are 'engaging in a pattern or practice of discrimination on the basis of sex.' The Department of Justice said it is investigating whether Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in educational programs, is being violated by California's AB 1266, which requires that students be allowed to participate in sex-segregated school programs like sports teams and competitions consistent with their gender identity, regardless of their gender listed on their records. Legal notice about the Department of Justice's Title IX-investigation was sent to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, Jurupa Unified School District and the California Interscholastic Federation. USA TODAY reporter Steve Gardner contributed to this story. Paris Barraza is a trending reporter covering California news at The Desert Sun. Reach her at pbarraza@ This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: SoCal student at center of transgender athlete debate wins at CIF
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
Teen trans athlete at center of rightwing attacks wins track events in California
A teenage transgender athlete in California, who has been at the center of widespread political attacks by rightwing pundits and the Trump administration, won in two track events over the weekend. The 16-year-old athlete, AB Hernandez, tied for first place alongside two other athletes in the high jump, and tied for first place in the triple jump. This comes as the Trump administration threatened to withhold federal funding from California for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls' sports. The meet took place days after the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports in the state, changed its rules. Now, if a transgender athlete places in a girls' event, the athlete who finishes just behind will also receive the same place and medal. Despite protests at the meet, the athletes expressed joy during the meet, multiple outlets reported. 'Sharing the podium was nothing but an honor,' another high school athlete said to the San Francisco Chronicle. 'Although the publicity she's been receiving has been pretty negative, I believe she deserves publicity because she's a superstar. She's a rock star. She's representing who she is.' Hernandez finished the high jump with a mark of 5ft 7in (1.7 meters), the Associated Press reported, with no failed attempts. The two co-winners also cleared that height after each logged a failed attempt. The three shared the first-place win, smiling as they stepped together onto the podium. Hernandez received first place in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with an athlete who trailed by just more than a half-meter, the AP said. Earlier in the afternoon, Hernandez placed second in the long jump. Hernandez and her participation in the meet brought national attention and attacks by the Trump administration. She has become the target of a national, rightwing campaign to ban trans athletes from youth sports. The justice department said it would investigate the California Interscholastic Federation and the school district to determine whether they violated federal sex-discrimination law. The federation's rule change reflects efforts to find a middle ground in the debate over trans girls' participation in high school sports. They announced the change after Trump threatened to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans athletes from competing on girls' teams. But the federation said it decided on the change before the Trump threats. Hernandez's participation in the sport is allowed by a 2013 state law, stating that students can compete in the category reflecting their gender identity. Her talent led some to fear that she would sweep the competition. At least 24 states have laws on the books barring transgender women and girls from participating in certain women's or girls' sports competitions, the AP reported. However, research has indicated that trans athletes do not outperform other athletes.
