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Washington Post
3 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
California track-and-field final enters spotlight for rule change after trans athlete's success
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California's high school track-and-field state championships starting Friday are set to be the testing ground for a new participation and medaling policy for competitions that include transgender athletes. The California Interscholastic Federation will let an additional student compete and potentially offer an extra medal in three events in which a trans athlete is competing. The athlete, high school junior AB Hernandez, is the second seed in the triple jump and will also participate in the long jump and high jump.
Associated Press
3 days ago
- Health
- Associated Press
California track-and-field final enters spotlight for rule change after trans athlete's success
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California's high school track-and-field state championships starting Friday are set to be the testing ground for a new participation and medaling policy for competitions that include transgender athletes. The California Interscholastic Federation will let an additional student compete and potentially offer an extra medal in three events in which a trans athlete is competing. The athlete, high school junior AB Hernandez, is the second seed in the triple jump and will also participate in the long jump and high jump. It may be the first effort by a high school sports governing body to expand participation when trans athletes are participating, and it reflects 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. State law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity. President Donald Trump threatened this week to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The U.S. Department of Justice also said it would investigate the state federation and the district that includes Hernandez's high school to determine whether they violated federal sex discrimination law by allowing trans girls to compete in girls sports. What the new participation and medaling policy will look like The meet, which is taking place at a high school near Fresno, will open up the girls triple jump, long jump and high jump to one additional athlete each who would have qualified had Hernandez not participated. Hernandez will compete in the preliminaries Friday for a chance to advance to the finals Saturday. Under the pilot policy, if a transgender athlete medals, their ranking would not displace a 'biological female' student from medaling, the federation said. The federation said the rule would open 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 they define 'biological female' or how they would verify whether a competitor meets that definition. Medical experts say gender is a spectrum, not a binary structure consisting of only males and females. The two-day meet is expected to draw attention from a coalition of protesting parents and students. Critics have objected Hernandez's participation and heckled her in qualifying events earlier this month. Leaders from the conservative California Family Council joined Republican state lawmakers Thursday for a press conference blasting the policy change and saying Hernandez shouldn't be allowed to compete. 'If they have to create special exceptions and backdoor rule changes to placate frustrated athletes, that's not equality, that's a confession,' Sophia Lorey, the council's outreach director, said in a statement. 'Girls' sports should be for girls, full stop.' CIF Executive Director Ron Nocetti urged participants and bystanders to behave respectfully toward all student-athletes in a message shared in the championship program. Nationwide debate over trans athletes' participation 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. Trump won Fresno County, where the meet will be held, in 2024. Hernandez told the publication Capital & Main earlier this month that she couldn't 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. She noted that she has lost some of her events, saying that disproved arguments that she can't be beat. Hernandez is expected to perform well, particularly in the triple jump, in which she has a personal best of over 41 feet (12.5 meters). That is more than 3 feet (1 meter) short of a national record set in 2019. She's the fifth seed in the long jump but ranked much lower in the high jump. California's state championship stands out from that of other states because of the number of competitors athletes are up against to qualify. More than 57,000 high schoolers participated in outdoor track and field in California during the 2023-2024 school year, according to a survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations. California had the second-largest number of high school outdoor track-and-field athletes, only behind Texas. Of the 12 high school athletes who have set national records in the girls triple jump between 1984 and 2019, eight have been from California, according to the national sports governing body. Davis Whitfield, the national federation's chief operating officer, called a state championship 'the pinnacle' for high school student-athletes. 'It's certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience in some cases to participate in a state championship event,' he said. ___ 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
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Health
- Associated Press
California changed rules for a track-and-field meet after a trans athlete's success. What to know
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California is opening up its track-and-field championship to more girls after a transgender athlete drew controversy for qualifying for the meet. The California Interscholastic Federation announced the temporary rule change Tuesday after high school junior AB Hernandez's success drew backlash, including from President Donald Trump. He criticized the athlete's participation in a social media post Tuesday, though the group said it decided on the rule change before that. Here's what to know: State law lets trans athletes compete Former California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law in 2013 allowing students to participate in sex-segregated school programs, including on sports teams, and use bathrooms and other facilities that align with their gender identity. A Republican-led effort to block that law failed recently in the Democratic-dominated Legislature. Another proposal that also failed would have required the federation to ban students whose sex was assigned male at birth from participating on a girls school sports team. Federation announces rule change The federation said it was launching a 'pilot entry process' to allow more girls participate in the championship track-and-field meet. Under the change, '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' could compete, the group said. If a transgender athlete medals, their ranking would not displace a 'biological female' student from medaling, the federation confirmed. In high jump, triple jump and long jump — all of the state championship events Hernandez qualified to compete in — a 'biological female' who would have earned podium placement will get the medal for that place and will be reflected in the records, the federal said. The federation did not specify how they define 'biological female' or how they would verify whether a competitor meets that definition. Experts from organizations including the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association and American Psychological Association say gender is a spectrum, not a binary structure consisting of only males and females. Backlash centers on one student Hernandez, a trans athlete in Southern California, is at the center of the debate. She won the long jump and triple jump during the division finals and is expected to perform well this weekend. She also set a triple jump meet record at the Ontario Relays earlier this year. Critics have accused her of having an unfair advantage over other athletes. Hernandez told the publication Capital & Main earlier this month that she couldn't worry about the actions of critics, who have called out her participation and heckled her at postseason meets. '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. She noted that she has lost some of her events, saying that disproved arguments that she can't be beat. Rule change prompts criticism The rule change may discriminate against transgender athletes, said Elana Redfield, a policy director at the UCLA School of Law Williams Institute, which researches sexual orientation and gender identity policies. 'The CIF policy creates two sets of rules — one for transgender girls, who must earn a place through traditional measures of competition, and another for 'biological females,' some of whom are allowed an extra chance to earn a spot,' Redfield said in an email. The change seems to 'thread a fine needle' by trying to ensure cisgender girls aren't denied a competition slot while still allowing trans athletes to participate, Redfield said. Doriane Lambelet Coleman, a professor at Duke Law School, said the change would help ensure that 'no female athlete loses a place on a team or in a competition when a trans girl is included.' 'Unlike inclusion policies that ignore sex differences, doing it this way doesn't gaslight the other girls about their biology,' said Coleman, who has researches subjects including children, sports and law and wrote recently on the evolving definition of sex. Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, called the rule change 'a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness' and said the governor thought it was a thoughtful approach. Newsom angered some liberal allies earlier this year when he questioned the fairness of transgender girls participation in girls sports. ___ Associated Press writer Janie Har in San Francisco contributed. ___ 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
Washington Post
6 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
California changes competition rules for track and field final amid controversy over trans athlete
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The governing board for California high school sports is changing its competition rules at this weekend's state track and field championships to allow more girls to take part amid controversy over the participation of a trans student-athlete. The California Interscholastic Federation said it was extending access for more cisgender athletes to participate in the championship meet this weekend. The federation announced the change Tuesday after President Donald Trump posted on his social media site about the participation of a trans athlete in the competition.
Associated Press
6 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
California changes competition rules for track and field final amid controversy over trans athlete
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The governing board for California high school sports is changing its competition rules at this weekend's state track and field championships to allow more girls to take part amid controversy over the participation of a trans student-athlete. The California Interscholastic Federation said it was extending access for more cisgender athletes to participate in the championship meet this weekend. The federation announced the change Tuesday after President Donald Trump posted on his social media site about the participation of a trans athlete in the competition. '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,' the group said in a statement. 'The CIF believes this pilot entry process achieves the participation opportunities we seek to afford our student-athletes.' The federation didn't specify whether the change applies to all events or only events where a trans athlete has qualified for the final. The change only applies to this weekend's competition.
