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Fox News
5 days ago
- General
- Fox News
California families of girl athletes speak out as state changes championship amid rules transgender drama
EXCLUSIVE: The California high school track and field state championship is shaping up to be one of the most unprecedented high school sports events in recent history. 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.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
The trans athletes who are ruining teen girl's chances on the track
Teenage girls across America have been pushed out of sporting wins by transgender competitors as furious parents demand action to protect women's athletics. The latest controversy erupted at a California track meet where teenage high-school athlete Reese Hogan made a statement after being beaten into second place by transgender competitor AB Hernandez. After posing for the official photo with Hernandez on the winner's podium, Hogan stepped up to claim the top spot herself once the cameras stopped rolling. Political activist Riley Gaines praised the bold move. 'When the boy got off the podium, she assumed her rightful spot as champion. The crowd erupts with applause. THIS is the way. Congrats to Reese Hogan, the REAL champ!' she wrote on X. Hernandez dominated the CIF Southern Section Finals last Saturday, winning both the triple jump by over four feet and claiming the long jump title while finishing seventh in high jump. The victories follow a pattern of trans athlete's overwhelming success against biological female competitors. Just weeks earlier, a trans high-school athlete won a girls' triple jump and long jump event at the Roosevelt Invitational in California in March. And weeks before that, Hernandez sparked outrage by winning the triple jump at Ontario Relays by a staggering eight feet over the runner-up. Hernandez's participation has sparked anger on social media. Jennifer Sey, founder of the organization XX-XY - which vows 'to protect women's sports and spaces' - shared video of Hernandez on X and wrote: 'This guy won the girls long jump and triple jump in a CA track meet over the weekend. He won the triple jump by 8ft. He's really crushing it!' Collin Rugg, the co-owner of Trending Politics, also shared footage of Hernandez competing and said: 'Transgender high school track star demolishes the female competition by *8 feet* in the triple jump at a track meet in California. 'Wow, what an accomplishment. I'm sure it had nothing to do with being a biological male. AB Hernandez says they plan to win 1st place in the state of California for the triple jump.' Similar incidents have occurred in other states this month. In Illinois, parents expressed 'shock' and 'disbelief' after a transgender middle school athlete reportedly won three events against seventh-grade girls. It's alleged that the transgender pupil won three events while competing against seventh-grade girls during the Naperville School District 203 meet. The beaten kids were said to be 'distraught' and 'devastated' and the controversy prompted fury among families. 'I was actually shocked. At first, I couldn't believe it,' Marie Davis told KBCD . 'I started talking to other parents, and it's like, is this really happening?' Doug Krein added: 'It's pretty upsetting to see your kid distraught out there trying to do her best and doesn't really have a shot.' Krein's 12-year-old daughter would have won a 200m medal if not for the transgender athlete. He told Fox News: 'My job as a parent is to advocate for my daughter and protect her. And the hardest thing is trying to tell her why she lost to a boy in seventh grade... it's like they're trying to erase women's sports. Erase women.'
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
The trans athletes who are ruining everyday teen girl's chances on the track
Teenage girls across America have been pushed out of sporting wins by transgender competitors as furious parents demand action to protect women's athletics. The latest controversy erupted at a California track meet where teenage athlete Reese Hogan made a statement after being beaten into second place by transgender competitor AB Hernandez. After posing for the official photo with Hernandez on the winner's podium, Hogan stepped up to claim the top spot herself once the cameras stopped rolling. Political activist Riley Gaines praised the bold move. 'When the boy got off the podium, she assumed her rightful spot as champion. The crowd erupts with applause. THIS is the way. Congrats to Reese Hogan, the REAL champ!' she wrote on X. Hernandez dominated the CIF Southern Section Finals last Saturday, winning both the triple jump by over four feet and claiming the long jump title while finishing seventh in high jump. The victories follow a pattern of trans athlete's overwhelming success against natural born female competitors. Just weeks earlier, a trans high school athlete won a girls' triple jump and long jump event at the Roosevelt international in California in March. Hogan 'assumed her rightful spot,' Riley Gaines, a political activist who fights against trans women in female sports, said And weeks before that, Hernandez sparked outrage by winning the triple jump at Ontario Relays by a staggering eight feet over the runner-up. AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley won the triple jump by nearly three feet, according to official records, while the margin of victory in the long jump came in at a distance of nearly two feet. It comes a week after Hernandez won the triple jump at Ontario Relays by eight feet over the runner-up. Hernandez's participation have sparked anger on social media. Jennifer Sey, founder of the organization XX-XY - which vows 'to protect women's sports and spaces' - shared video of Hernandez on X and wrote: 'This guy won the girls long jump and triple jump in a CA track meet over the weekend. He won the triple jump by 8ft. He's really crushing it!' Colin Rugg, the co-owner of Trending Politics, also shared footage of Hernandez competing to his 1.7million followers and said: 'Transgender high school track star demolishes the female competition by *8 feet* in the triple jump at a track meet in California. 'Wow, what an accomplishment. I'm sure it had nothing to do with being a biological male. AB Hernandez says they plan to win 1st place in the state of California for the triple jump.' The California controversy comes as similar incidents occurred this month. In Illinois, parents expressed 'shock' and 'disbelief' after a transgender middle school athlete reportedly won three events against seventh-grade girls. It's alleged that the transgender pupil won three events while competing against seventh-grade girls during the Naperville School District 203 meet. The beaten kids were said to be 'distraught' and 'devastated' and the controversy prompted fury among families. 'I was actually shocked. At first, I couldn't believe it,' Marie Davis told KBCD . 'I started talking to other parents, and it's like, is this really happening?' Doug Krein added: 'It's pretty upsetting to see your kid distraught out there trying to do her best and doesn't really have a shot.' Krein's 12-year-old daughter would have won a 200m medal if not for the transgender athlete. He told Fox News : 'My job as a parent is to advocate for my daughter and protect her. And the hardest thing is trying to tell her why she lost to a boy in seventh grade... it's like they're trying to erase women's sports. Erase women.' It comes amid President Trump's attempts to ban transgender athletes from female events. After returning to the White House, the president signed an executive order entitled 'Keeping Men out of Women's Sports'. His administration has been at war with the state of Maine over its alleged failure to comply with his stance and now Naperville School District 203 is under attack. Social advocacy group Awake Illinois has reportedly filed a US Department of Education civil rights complaint, accusing the district of violating Title IX, which 'prohibits sex-based discrimination in education programs and activities.' Frustrations came to the boil at a fiery school board meeting on Monday night. It's said so many people turned up that organizers had to set up an overflow room. Many people held up transgender flags and signs which carried messages such as 'the future is inclusive'. 'This is not about politics. This is about people. This is about a child,' one speaker said. But others urged the district to 'support common sense' and 'stop exploiting kids.' 'No girl should be denied participating in a conference championship because a genetic boy is taking that spot,' another parent argued. In a statement to KCBD, the school district refused to discuss to track meet. 'In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and district policy, we cannot and will not share personal or identifiable information about any student,' it said.
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
California girls' track star reveals furious verdict on trans athlete who beat her
A high school track athlete has said she 'can't stand' for trans athletes competing in girls' sports after she was beaten by a trans competitor in a recent event. Katie McGuinness of La Canada High School competed in the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section Final over the weekend, and placed second in the long jump. But a trans athlete wound up winning both the long jump and triple jump, and McGuinness expressed her disappointment in the situation in a recent interview. 'There are just certain genetic advantages that biological males have that biological girls don't,' she told Fox News' 'America Reports.' 'Frankly, I just can't stand for that.' She also recalled the events from the meet on Saturday, saying: 'I ran down the runway and I landed and I watched them measure my mark, and it was 18.9. 'And I just remember thinking that there was nothing else that I could do. That was it. And I was honestly very discouraged, and I'm a high school senior and winning CIF has always been a goal of mine, and I wasn't able to compete with someone who was genetically different than me.' Reese Hogan also placed second to the trans competitor in the triple jump, and posed on the winner's podum after In the triple jump category, Crean Lutheran High School's Reese Hogan finished in second to the same trans competitor. After posing alongside the winner and third-place finisher on the podium (in the second-place spot), Hogan briefly posed in the winner's podium spot - resulting in viral attention and an endorsement from anti-trans activist Riley Gaines. 'When the boy got off the podium, she assumed her rightful spot as champion,' Gaines wrote on X. 'The crowd erupts with applause. THIS is the way. Congrats to ReeseHogan , the REAL champ!!!' Hogan had previously competed against the trans athlete and told Fox News Digital: '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. 'It's pretty obvious the certain advantages that he has, and it's obviously just sad as a woman to watch that.' The issue of trans athletes competing in women's sports has been in the spotlight even more since President Donald Trump signed an executive order entitled 'Keeping Men out of Women's Sports' in February. His administration has been at war with the state of Maine over its alleged failure to comply with his stance, while the CIF has previously come under fire as well. This past winter, a transgender basketball player dominated play in California, but ultimately did not participate in a playoff game amid fury at the situation. Fox News Digital reported at the time that Trump's Department of Education and Office of Civil Rights was investigating the CIF, and that the trans athlete's school was not the only one in California flouting Trump's executive order. Nonetheless, despite the federal ruling on trans athletes, California has had a law in place since 2014 that allows trans athletes to compete in girls' sports.
Fox News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
California girls' track athlete opens up on losing first-place title to trans competitor
A high school track meet in Southern California became the latest flashpoint in the state's ongoing conflict with President Donald Trump's administration over trans athletes in girls' sports. There, multiple girls' competitors fell shy of first place to a biologically male trans athlete. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Final on Saturday saw the trans athlete take first place in the triple jump and long jump. The second-place finisher in the long jump was Katie McGuinness of La Canada High School. McGuinness recounted the experience of losing to the trans athlete in an interview on Fox News' "America Reports." "I remember thinking to myself, 'OK, I need to get a big jump,'" McGuinness said. "I ran down the runway and I landed and I watched them measure my mark, and it was 18.9," she said. "And I just remember thinking that there was nothing else that I could do. That was it. And I was honestly very discouraged, and I'm a high school senior and winning CIF has always been a goal of mine, and I wasn't able to compete with someone who was genetically different than me." McGuinness made her overall stance on the issue clear. "There are just certain genetic advantages that biological males have that biological girls don't," she said. "Frankly, I just can't stand for that." The second-place finisher to the trans athlete in triple jump, Reese Hogan of Crean Lutheran High School, made it a point to stand on the first-place podium spot for a quick and symbolic photo op. Footage of Hogan taking the top podium spot after the trans athlete stepped off went viral on social media over the weekend. Hogan had just competed against the trans athlete in the prelims a week earlier. At that event, Hogan also came in behind the trans athlete in the triple jump, finishing third, and would have placed one spot higher were it not for the trans athlete. But Hogan did finish ahead of the trans athlete in the high jump. "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." Hogan also spoke at a press conference to protest the trans athlete at the prelims and wore a shirt that read, "Protect Girls Sports." "It was nothing against the athlete itself, it was just an issue of fairness," Hogan previously said. "Nothing that we can do, no amount of training, no amount of hours that we put in, we could never achieve the same amount of advantages that a man can have." The CIF track and field postseason has been overshadowed by the controversy involving the trans athlete, garnering national scrutiny against the CIF and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. A U.S. Department of Education spokesperson sent a warning to the state in the days leading up to the CIF Southern Section final, referencing previous reports that CIF officials made competitors remove their Protect Girls Sports shirts. "CIF's and Jurupa Valley High School's apparent flouting of federal civil rights law by allowing a male athlete to compete in a female California track and field [Southern Sectional Division 3 final] this Saturday, and the alleged retaliation against the girls who are protesting this, is indefensible," Julie Hartman, a Department of Education spokesperson, told Fox News Digital. The CIF is already under a federal Title IX investigation over the state's trans-inclusion practices. The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation against CIF in February after President Donald Trump signed the Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports executive order. The CIF was one of the first high school sports leagues in the country to announce it would defy the order. Newsom, in a February episode of his podcast, said he believes trans athletes competing in girls' sports is "deeply unfair" but has not taken any steps as governor to change the state's policies. The state has had a law in place that allows trans athletes to compete with females since 2014. "California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who, in a startling moment of moral clarity, recently remarked that it was 'deeply unfair' for men to compete in women's sports," Hartman continued. "Where is Gov. Newsom now? With or without the governor, the Trump administration's Department of Education's commitment is unwavering: We will not allow institutions to trample upon women's civil rights. OCR's (Office of Civil Rights) investigation into CIF continues with vigor." The trans athlete represents Jurupa Valley High School. The Jurupa Unified School District provided a statement to Fox News Digital in response to the Department of Education's statement. "JUSD continues to follow both California law and CIF policy regarding school athletics. Both state law and CIF policy currently require that students be permitted to participate in athletic teams and competitions consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records. JUSD remains committed to protecting the rights and safety of the students we serve, in accordance with applicable state and federal laws," the statement reads. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
