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CNN
2 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Trans high school athlete competes in California finals in shadow of protests, Trump funding threats
LGBTQ issues Donald TrumpFacebookTweetLink Follow The transgender high school athlete whose participation in this weekend's California track and field championships prompted President Donald Trump to threaten to remove state funding is competing in Saturday's final round. A.B. Hernandez, a public high school junior in Southern California, placed first in long jump, high jump and triple jump in the preliminary round Friday as a group protested her ability to compete, holding signs reading, 'Save Girls Sports' and cheered while an airplane with a banner reading, 'No Boys in Girls' Sports' flew over the stadium. 'I don't think that having a male in female competition is fair competition,' one protester told CNN, who misgendered A.B. while saying as an athlete, she should compete in her 'biological field.' Most parents who came with their children to the meet, however, said they don't want the issue to be politicized and want the focus to remain on the competition. Her qualification led the high school sports governing body to allow more cisgender girls, whose gender identity conforms with their sex assigned at birth, to compete, as A.B. earned her place in the championships after finishing first in the triple jump and long jump at last weekend's Southern Section Masters Meet, which led to criticism from some in the community who said she prevented lower-ranked competitors from advancing. The top 12 finishers in each event in Friday's preliminary round advanced to Saturday's state finals in Clovis. A.B. was ranked first in both long jump and triple jump, and 14th in high jump entering the championships, according to Mile Split California data. The California Interscholastic Federation announced a new policy on Tuesday which only applies to this weekend's meet, allowing 'biological female' student athletes who would otherwise have earned a qualifying mark – if not for the participation of trans students – an automatic entry to the finals. The same day, Trump said on Truth Social, 'large scale' federal funding 'will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to,' referencing his February directive titled, 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports.' A day after Trump's announcement, the Justice Department said it was investigating whether California's School Success and Opportunity Act violates the federal Title IX law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving federal money. The California law in part prohibits public schools from blocking transgender students from participating in school sports. The federal agency sent the announcement in letters to the California Attorney General and the superintendent of public instruction, as well as the California Interscholastic Federation and the Jurupa Unified School District, where A.B. attends high school. The school district said it is required to follow California law and the state federation's policy regarding school athletics. The office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who recently has broken from many progressives' position on the issue and others, said the governing body's pilot rule is 'reasonable.' Newsom, in a March podcast episode with conservative activist Charlie Kirk, called the issue of trans athletes competing in sports 'deeply unfair.' With trans athletes' participation in girls' and women's sports a legal, political and cultural debate stoked by the political right, the White House has tried to use federal money to get states to align their policies with its ideology. At the track meet, one coach from Redondo Beach told CNN affiliate KCAL 'it's not easy' for A.B. to be competing. The coach said of CIF's pilot policy: 'The solution they came up with is very good. They're allowing her to compete but not displacing the other athletes. I think they came up with a good solution for a difficult, challenging question. The problem is it's not going away,' according to the KCAL report. One protester told the outlet what CIF is 'doing wrong is allowing boys in girls' sports. I would like to see the three categories. Let them have their own category… These girls don't have a fair playing field. They're going against a boy,' the woman told KCAL, adding she believes A.B. has a 'biological advantage.' At the core of disagreements over access is whether trans women have unfair physical athletic advantages. Few trans athletes have reached elite levels of sports competition and even fewer have taken home top prizes, but their limited success has fueled the growing movement to ban them from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity. Research on trans people's athletic performance is scarce, and there have been no large-scale scientific studies on the topic or on how hormone therapies may affect their performance in specific sport categories, such as running or wrestling. Trans athletes and advocates say trans people deserve the right to compete alongside their peers and reap the proven social, physical and mental benefits of sports. This weekend's meet wasn't the first time A.B. faced backlash as she competed. At another competition earlier this month, she was met with heckling and protesters in the crowd as she was accompanied by campus security guards and deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's Department, according to Keinan Briggs, who coaches two athletes who placed lower than A.B. in last weekend's competition. While many parents and community members are upset, Briggs agrees with those who believe A.B. should compete because there is not a specific category for transgender athletes, he said. In an interview with Capital & Main earlier this month, A.B. said she has the support of most of the athletes she competes against: 'Girls were just shocked that people would actually come to do that, and really bully a child.' 'I've trained so hard. I mean, hours of conditioning every day, five days a week. Every day since November, three hours after school. And then all of summer, no summer break for me,' she told Capital & Main. 'A few people think I'm brave and strong and they hope to be like me one day. I say, don't just hope, make it happen.' 'I'm still a child. You're an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person,' said A.B., whose family declined to comment for this story when contacted by CNN. A.B.'s mother Nereyda Hernandez said this month on Instagram her daughter's identity 'doesn't give her an advantage; it gives her courage. It takes immense bravery to show up, compete, and be visible in a world that often questions your very right to exist, let alone to participate.' Both A.B. and her mother spoke at a Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District board of education meeting on April 8. Nereyda Hernandez told the board A.B. is competing at the high school level in girls' sports in accordance with the law but has faced harassment and stalking. 'We're supposed to treat all children equal, and we're supposed to protect our children,' the mother said, adding the team does not feel 'unsafe.' A.B. referenced the Save Girls Sports group at the meeting, saying: 'If you are going to save someone, it should be the girls on my team who all love me and support me, and they've told me over and over again that they want me on this team.' CNN's Samantha Waldenberg, Stephanie Elam, Jen Christensen, and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.
CNN
2 days ago
- Health
- CNN
Trans high school athlete competes in California finals in shadow of protests, Trump funding threats
LGBTQ issues Donald TrumpFacebookTweetLink Follow The transgender high school athlete whose participation in this weekend's California track and field championships prompted President Donald Trump to threaten to remove state funding is competing in Saturday's final round. A.B. Hernandez, a public high school junior in Southern California, placed first in long jump, high jump and triple jump in the preliminary round Friday as a group protested her ability to compete, holding signs reading, 'Save Girls Sports' and cheered while an airplane with a banner reading, 'No Boys in Girls' Sports' flew over the stadium. 'I don't think that having a male in female competition is fair competition,' one protester told CNN, who misgendered A.B. while saying as an athlete, she should compete in her 'biological field.' Most parents who came with their children to the meet, however, said they don't want the issue to be politicized and want the focus to remain on the competition. Her qualification led the high school sports governing body to allow more cisgender girls, whose gender identity conforms with their sex assigned at birth, to compete, as A.B. earned her place in the championships after finishing first in the triple jump and long jump at last weekend's Southern Section Masters Meet, which led to criticism from some in the community who said she prevented lower-ranked competitors from advancing. The top 12 finishers in each event in Friday's preliminary round advanced to Saturday's state finals in Clovis. A.B. was ranked first in both long jump and triple jump, and 14th in high jump entering the championships, according to Mile Split California data. The California Interscholastic Federation announced a new policy on Tuesday which only applies to this weekend's meet, allowing 'biological female' student athletes who would otherwise have earned a qualifying mark – if not for the participation of trans students – an automatic entry to the finals. The same day, Trump said on Truth Social, 'large scale' federal funding 'will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to,' referencing his February directive titled, 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports.' A day after Trump's announcement, the Justice Department said it was investigating whether California's School Success and Opportunity Act violates the federal Title IX law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving federal money. The California law in part prohibits public schools from blocking transgender students from participating in school sports. The federal agency sent the announcement in letters to the California Attorney General and the superintendent of public instruction, as well as the California Interscholastic Federation and the Jurupa Unified School District, where A.B. attends high school. The school district said it is required to follow California law and the state federation's policy regarding school athletics. The office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who recently has broken from many progressives' position on the issue and others, said the governing body's pilot rule is 'reasonable.' Newsom, in a March podcast episode with conservative activist Charlie Kirk, called the issue of trans athletes competing in sports 'deeply unfair.' With trans athletes' participation in girls' and women's sports a legal, political and cultural debate stoked by the political right, the White House has tried to use federal money to get states to align their policies with its ideology. At the track meet, one coach from Redondo Beach told CNN affiliate KCAL 'it's not easy' for A.B. to be competing. The coach said of CIF's pilot policy: 'The solution they came up with is very good. They're allowing her to compete but not displacing the other athletes. I think they came up with a good solution for a difficult, challenging question. The problem is it's not going away,' according to the KCAL report. One protester told the outlet what CIF is 'doing wrong is allowing boys in girls' sports. I would like to see the three categories. Let them have their own category… These girls don't have a fair playing field. They're going against a boy,' the woman told KCAL, adding she believes A.B. has a 'biological advantage.' At the core of disagreements over access is whether trans women have unfair physical athletic advantages. Few trans athletes have reached elite levels of sports competition and even fewer have taken home top prizes, but their limited success has fueled the growing movement to ban them from participating on teams consistent with their gender identity. Research on trans people's athletic performance is scarce, and there have been no large-scale scientific studies on the topic or on how hormone therapies may affect their performance in specific sport categories, such as running or wrestling. Trans athletes and advocates say trans people deserve the right to compete alongside their peers and reap the proven social, physical and mental benefits of sports. This weekend's meet wasn't the first time A.B. faced backlash as she competed. At another competition earlier this month, she was met with heckling and protesters in the crowd as she was accompanied by campus security guards and deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's Department, according to Keinan Briggs, who coaches two athletes who placed lower than A.B. in last weekend's competition. While many parents and community members are upset, Briggs agrees with those who believe A.B. should compete because there is not a specific category for transgender athletes, he said. In an interview with Capital & Main earlier this month, A.B. said she has the support of most of the athletes she competes against: 'Girls were just shocked that people would actually come to do that, and really bully a child.' 'I've trained so hard. I mean, hours of conditioning every day, five days a week. Every day since November, three hours after school. And then all of summer, no summer break for me,' she told Capital & Main. 'A few people think I'm brave and strong and they hope to be like me one day. I say, don't just hope, make it happen.' 'I'm still a child. You're an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person,' said A.B., whose family declined to comment for this story when contacted by CNN. A.B.'s mother Nereyda Hernandez said this month on Instagram her daughter's identity 'doesn't give her an advantage; it gives her courage. It takes immense bravery to show up, compete, and be visible in a world that often questions your very right to exist, let alone to participate.' Both A.B. and her mother spoke at a Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District board of education meeting on April 8. Nereyda Hernandez told the board A.B. is competing at the high school level in girls' sports in accordance with the law but has faced harassment and stalking. 'We're supposed to treat all children equal, and we're supposed to protect our children,' the mother said, adding the team does not feel 'unsafe.' A.B. referenced the Save Girls Sports group at the meeting, saying: 'If you are going to save someone, it should be the girls on my team who all love me and support me, and they've told me over and over again that they want me on this team.' CNN's Samantha Waldenberg, Stephanie Elam, Jen Christensen, and Elizabeth Wolfe contributed to this report.
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
California track-and-field championships draw limited protest over trans student's participation
AB Hernandez reacts after competing in the high jump at the California high school track-and-field championships in Clovis, Calif., Friday, May 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong) CLOVIS, Calif. — A transgender teen will compete in the California high school track-and-field finals on Saturday, one day after advancing in the competition as a protest plane circled above the meet drew national attention, including criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump. AB Hernandez — a trans student who on Friday advanced in the girls high jump, long jump and triple jump — will be in the finals Saturday, competing under a new rule change that may be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body. The new California Interscholastic Federation announced the new policy earlier this week in response to Hernandez's success. According to the policy, the CIF will let an additional student compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified. The two-day championship kicked off in the sweltering heat at high school near Fresno. The atmosphere was relatively quiet Friday despite critics — including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump — calling for Hernandez to be barred from girls competition leading up to the meet. There was some pushback Friday. A group of fewer than 10 people gathered outside the stadium ahead of the meet to protest Hernandez's participation. Some of them wore 'Save Girls' Sports' T-shirts. At one point as Hernandez was attempting a high jump, someone in the stands yelled an insult. An aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour during the events, carrying a banner that read, 'No Boys in Girls' Sports!' Two groups, the Independent Council on Women's Sports and Women Are Real, that oppose transgender athletes participating in women's sports took credit for flying the banner. Separately, one person was arrested outside the competition on Friday after getting in a confrontation with another protester that turned physical, according to the Clovis Police Department. The rest of the night ran smoothly for Hernandez, who finished the triple jump with a mark close to 41 feet (13 meters), nearly 10 inches (25 centimeters) ahead of her closest competitor, San Francisco Bay Area junior Kira Gant Hatcher. Hernandez also led in the long jump with a mark close to 20 feet (6 meters) to advance to the final. She advanced in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 5 inches (1.7 meters) with ease. She did not address the press. California at center of national debate The CIF rule change 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. 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 rule change after Trump threatened this week to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The CIF said it decided on the change before then. 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. Some California Republicans also weighed in, with several state lawmakers attending a news conference to criticize the federation for keeping Hernandez in the competition and a Republican gubernatorial candidate planning to attend Saturday's finals. California law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity. 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. 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. Another student breaks a record California's state championship stands out from that of other states because of the number of competitors athletes are up against to qualify. 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. 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). The boys 100-meter dash heats were also a highlight Friday. Junior Jaden Jefferson of De La Salle High School in Concord finished in 10.01 seconds, about .2 seconds faster than a meet record set in 2023. Jefferson's time won't count as a record unless he can replicate his results in the final. Sophie Austin and Jae Hong, The Associated Press
The Independent
2 days ago
- General
- The Independent
California track-and-field championships draw limited protest over trans student's participation
A transgender teen will compete in the California high school track-and-field finals on Saturday, one day after advancing in the competition as a protest plane circled above the meet drew national attention, including criticism from President Donald Trump. AB Hernandez — a trans student who on Friday advanced in the girls high jump, long jump and triple jump — will be in the finals Saturday, competing under a new rule change that may be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body. The new California Interscholastic Federation announced the new policy earlier this week in response to Hernandez's success. According to the policy, the CIF will let an additional student compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified. The two-day championship kicked off in the sweltering heat at high school near Fresno. The atmosphere was relatively quiet Friday despite critics — including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump — calling for Hernandez to be barred from girls competition leading up to the meet. There was some pushback Friday. A group of fewer than 10 people gathered outside the stadium ahead of the meet to protest Hernandez's participation. Some of them wore 'Save Girls' Sports' T-shirts. At one point as Hernandez was attempting a high jump, someone in the stands yelled an insult. An aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour during the events, carrying a banner that read, 'No Boys in Girls' Sports!' Two groups, the Independent Council on Women's Sports and Women Are Real, that oppose transgender athletes participating in women's sports took credit for flying the banner. Separately, one person was arrested outside the competition on Friday after getting in a confrontation with another protester that turned physical, according to the Clovis Police Department. The rest of the night ran smoothly for Hernandez, who finished the triple jump with a mark close to 41 feet (13 meters), nearly 10 inches (25 centimeters) ahead of her closest competitor, San Francisco Bay Area junior Kira Gant Hatcher. Hernandez also led in the long jump with a mark close to 20 feet (6 meters) to advance to the final. She advanced in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 5 inches (1.7 meters) with ease. She did not address the press. California at center of national debate The CIF rule change 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. 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 rule change after Trump threatened this week to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The CIF said it decided on the change before then. 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. Some California Republicans also weighed in, with several state lawmakers attending a news conference to criticize the federation for keeping Hernandez in the competition and a Republican gubernatorial candidate planning to attend Saturday's finals. California law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity. 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. 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. Another student breaks a record California's state championship stands out from that of other states because of the number of competitors athletes are up against to qualify. 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. 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). The boys 100-meter dash heats were also a highlight Friday. Junior Jaden Jefferson of De La Salle High School in Concord finished in 10.01 seconds, about .2 seconds faster than a meet record set in 2023. Jefferson's time won't count as a record unless he can replicate his results in the final. ___
Associated Press
3 days ago
- General
- Associated Press
California track-and-field championships draw limited protest over trans student's participation
CLOVIS, Calif. (AP) — California's high school track-and-field state finals will award one extra medal Saturday in events where a transgender athlete places in the top three, a rule change that may be the first of its kind nationally by a high school sports governing body. The new California Interscholastic Federation policy was written in response to the success of high school junior AB Hernandez, a trans student who competes in the girls high jump, long jump and triple jump. She led in all three events after preliminaries Friday. The CIF said earlier this week it would let an additional student compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified. The two-day championship kicked off in the sweltering heat at high school near Fresno. The atmosphere was relatively quiet Friday despite critics — including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump — calling for Hernandez to be barred from girls competition leading up to the meet. There was some pushback Friday. A group of fewer than 10 people gathered outside the stadium ahead of the meet to protest Hernandez's participation. Some of them wore 'Save Girls' Sports' T-shirts. At one point as Hernandez was attempting a high jump, someone in the stands yelled an insult. An aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour during the events, carrying a banner that read, 'No Boys in Girls' Sports!' The rest of the night ran smoothly for Hernandez, who finished the triple jump with a mark close to 41 feet (13 meters), nearly 10 inches (25 centimeters) ahead of her closest competitor, San Francisco Bay Area junior Kira Gant Hatcher. Hernandez also led in the long jump with a mark close to 20 feet (6 meters) to advance to the final. She advanced in the high jump, clearing 5 feet, 5 inches (1.7 meters) with ease. She did not address the press. California at center of national debate The CIF rule change 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. 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 rule change after Trump threatened this week to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The CIF said it decided on the change before then. 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. Some California Republicans also weighed in, with several state lawmakers attending a news conference to criticize the federation for keeping Hernandez in the competition and a Republican gubernatorial candidate planning to attend Saturday's finals. California law allows trans students to compete on sex-segregated sports teams consistent with their gender identity. 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. 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. Another student breaks a record California's state championship stands out from that of other states because of the number of competitors athletes are up against to qualify. 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. 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). The boys 100-meter dash heats were also a highlight Friday. Junior Jaden Jefferson of De La Salle High School in Concord finished in 10.01 seconds, about .2 seconds faster than a meet record set in 2023. Jefferson's time won't count as a record unless he can replicate his results in the final. ___ 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
