Latest news with #girlsports
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Female Oregon high jumpers' stunning act of defiance after competing with trans rival at state championships
Two female high-jump competitors refused to stand alongside a transgender rival on the podium at this weekend's high school state championships in Oregon. Reese Eckard of Sherwood High School and Alexa Anderson of Tigard High School have been praised as heroes on social media after abandoning the medal ceremony in an apparent protest of a fifth-place finisher, who is reportedly transgender. Reese finished fourth in the state final while Anderson was third. Rather than taking their spots on the podium, footage obtained by Fox News showed the girls turning their backs on the crowd before being ushered away from the ceremony by an official. 'Two female athletes in Oregon refused to stand on the podium because a boy was awarded a place. Girls have had enough,' conservative activist Riley Gaines wrote on X. 'Girls have had enough.' Daily Mail has reached out to the Oregon School Activities Association for comment on the controversy. Anderson spoke to Fox News about her decision over the weekend. Oregon girls high jump state championships just finished. 2 of the females refused to step on the podium with the male competitor and an adult official relegated them to the sideline for refusing. THIS MUST END. — Leigh Ann O'Neill (@LaLONeill) May 31, 2025 'We didn't refuse to stand on the podium out of hate,' she said. 'We did it because someone has to say this isn't right. In order to protect the integrity and fairness of girls sports we must stand up for what is right.' Oregon is one of several states challenging President Donald Trump's 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sports' executive order, which threatens to deny federal funding to rogue governments. 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. 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. Statistics on transgender participation in female sports aren't comprehensive. However, in December, NCAA President Charlie Baker testified that fewer than 10 are competing among 500,000 collegiate student athletes in the country. The American Medical Association and American Psychiatric Association have both stated that gender is a spectrum and not a binary structure, as the White House argued in its January 20 executive order 'defending women from gender ideology.'
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Riley Gaines' blistering takedown of California trans teen athlete's 'evil' mom
The mother of a trans track athlete competing in girls' sports has been branded 'evil' by conservative women's advocate Riley Gaines, in an explosive interview with Daily Mail. AB Hernandez, 16, who was born male but identifies as female, is crushing rival girl athletes in a two-day state competition this weekend amid howls of shock and protest. The controversial high school junior has also been the target of intense ire from President Donald Trump who is threatening to cut federal education funding from ' woke ' California over the issue. The U.S. Justice Department has also announced it is also investigating the Golden State for allowing trans people to participate in girls' sports. Meanwhile, Trump ally Gaines pulled no punches when she slammed 'progressives' including Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom - who she dubbed a 'slimy car salesman' and 'spineless coward' - for enabling biologically born boys to participate in sports alongside girls. She also called out 'crazy unhinged trans activists' for creating chaos. Hernandez, who lives in Jurupa Valley, 60 miles east of Los Angeles, trounced her rivals during in sweltering heat on the first day of the California Interscholastic Federation games at Buchanan High School in Clovis, 13 miles north of Fresno. She competed in the long, triple and high jump events on Friday, May 30, at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) State Track & Field Championships and led all three events going into Saturday's schedule. Protestors were gathered outside the school stadium with some wearing 'Save Girls' Sports' T-shirts. A light aircraft buzzed overhead pulling a banner that read: 'No Boys in Girls' Sports!' CIF representatives at previous track meets have told girls to remove t-shirts with messages protesting the organization and have banned signs to quash protests. Gaines hit headlines in 2022 as a competitive swimmer for University of Kentucky in the 200-yard NCAA freestyle championship against University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas, a biological male who lives as a woman. The 25-year-old quickly became an outspoken critic against transgender athletes competing in women's sport and has hailed Trump's 'Keeping Men Out of Women's Sport' executive order which he signed February. The Gaines for Girls podcast host gave a searing indictment of Hernandez's mother, Nereyda Hernandez, 43. 'His mom is a pretty evil person,' Gaines declared. 'I believe she is using her son to live out some fantasy or dream that maybe she had. 'She has lied to AB in affirming his identity - the total façade - and in the process has harmed real women. 'I have empathy for AB. He's a victim as well. But that doesn't give him the right to trample on women in the process to fulfill his happiness. 'AB Hernandez is of course not the first boy to compete in the state of California - whether it's track and field, whatever sport it may be,' commented Gaines. 'He is following the rules. So I don't have any animosity or hatred or wish any sort of ill will on the boy. Ultimately, it's the rules that are the problem. 'Harm [is] being done because of his acceptance into women's sports and women's spaces. 'That's what has been relayed to me by many of the girls who have competed against AB.' Hernandez's mother recently posted to social media: 'My child is not a threat; SHE IS LIGHT!!! As AB's mother, I will continue to stand by her, proudly fiercely, and unconditionally.' has reached out to her for further comment. But Gaines proclaimed: 'Sports are not about inclusion at the level he's competing. It's not about your feelings. It's about winning, to put it as bluntly as possible. 'Women aren't just a tool used to fulfill men's happiness. That's not what we are. Unfortunately, that's what women are being used for again. But we say enough. 'I'm not trying to rid anyone of opportunities. I believe every single person should play sports. But play in the categories that are safe and fair to everyone. 'We cannot prioritize inclusion over safety and fairness. That undermines the foundation of what sports were created to do. 'That's what we've seen a lot with this movement - women are just expected to roll over. Women are expected to be what they call inclusive and kind and allow these men into our spaces. 'You have men who are described as AGP - autogynephiliacs - who are just men who are sexually aroused dressing as a woman, and we're being forced to participate in that fetish. 'And we are reprimanded if we even dare to question it. Women have had enough. We say no. 'It's not just women like me. I've talked to many women who are lesbians who say 'We're being used here.' 'This seems like something that we see relatively often with this trans community, especially with minors who have transitioned. 'You have one parent, or both parents, who look like they are using their child as a prop.' She noted that so-called progressive states, most notably California, are in reality 'regressive because they are destructive and harmful to women and girls'. Donald Trump blasted high school athlete AB Hernandez in a blistering Truth Social post on May 27, calling the participation of transexuals in women's sports 'totally demeaning to women and girls' Gaines noted that girls feel threatened and parents fear they could lose their 'scared' they could lose their job if they speak out to much. She has spoken with some of the girls who have been competing against Hernandez and were pushed into second place. They 'would be the rightful champion had AB not been competing'. She added: 'It breaks my heart. Hearing from them and what they have to say is the reason why I keep pushing forward [and] keep fighting this fight.' One of the girls, who placed second behind Hernandez, told Gaines she felt 'betrayed' and 'belittled'. The distressed girl, she added, said the messaging from CIF and Newsom for not tackling the issue was 'very loud and clear' that she 'wasn't worthy of calling herself a champion.' 'How could any person with a fifth grade understanding of biology hear that and their heart not break?' asked Gaines. 'It's about the next generation. It's about protecting those girls. The girls are picking up on the discrimination that they are facing simply for being girls and participating in girls sports.' Gaines believes, though, that voters showed their disharmony with trans issues by voting Trump into office for a second time last November. 'People have had enough with the identity politics and with policies that harm women, with the harming of children, with the ridding of parental rights - California has been the nation's leader on all of those things,' declared Gaines. 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 state 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. A Trump-appointed federal prosecutor for the Central District of California, announced an investigation Wednesday into CIF and the Jurupa Unified School District, which includes Hernandez's high school, to determine whether federal sex discrimination law was violated by allowing trans girls to compete in girls' sports. Feeling the intense pressure from Trump, last Tuesday the CIF announced a temporary rule change to allow an extra girl to be in the medals in the three track events that include Hernandez. Riley slammed the CIF for 'indicating that they would [still] allow the boy to still compete with the girls'. 'It is common sense that boys and girls are different, that there are two sexes, that each sex is deserving of equal opportunities of privacy and of safety. 'But now we have sitting Supreme Court justices who can't even answer the question of what's in a woman because they claim to not be a biologist. She added: 'Fear is a large part of it.' She pointed to the 'crazy unhinged trans activists that I have found myself up against in many different scenarios. I've been attacked. I've had my life threatened by them.' A proud Christian, she recalled five students recently being arrested in Portland, Oregon, 'for wanting to end my life.' Critic's and trans proponents in Seattle threw human feces at her, she said.' She described her anti-trans collaborator Trump as 'the exact man you think he is. 'That's why people are drawn to him, especially young people. There's a sense of authenticity that you can feel, that you see on TV when you're watching him, or when you're reading his tweets. 'I can attest to the fact that that is real. There is no face that he puts on. There is no wall that he puts up. What you see is very much what you get. 'He has made it very clear his intention of protecting children, of protecting parental rights, of protecting the rights of women.' She pointed to the TAKE IT DOWN Act, proposed by Trump and First Lady Melania in May to protect women and children online exploitation. Although Gov. Newsom recently called transgender athletes competing against girls' 'deeply unfair' - a tougher tone than earlier comments - Gaines insisted he hasn't done anything so resolved the issue. 'Put your money where your mouth is,' she said of the governor. 'If you say it's deeply unfair, do something about it. If not, then you continue to be the spineless coward that we knew you to be. 'He's continued to sit on the fence, wink at both sides, like he's done on every topic over the past few years, including Covid. That's what he does best. He's like a slimy car salesman. 'This will be made very clear to the rest of the public - which matters if he plans to run in 2028 for president, which I believe he has angled himself to do.' Trump, however, is going to put Gavin Newsom in a position 'where he can no longer sit on the fence, which I think is really beneficial for the American people to see', she concluded.
Fox News
3 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
California track and field championship sees arrest and aerial banner amid transgender controversy
The California track and field state championship prelim round in Clovis on Friday was a scene of conflicting beliefs and even police intervention amid an ongoing controversy involving a trans athlete competing in the girls' category. At least one person was arrested, the Clovis Police Department confirmed Fox News Digital. The person arrested was a protester who is accused of shattering a car window with a flag pole. The department confirmed the person arrested was an LGBTQ activist. "This afternoon at 3:55PM, a disturbance between two adults occurred at the intersection of Nees/Minnewawa. One adult on the sidewalk and one in a vehicle at the intersection became involved in a disturbance that turned physical. During the disturbance, one of them used pepper spray against the other. EMS was called and one of the adults was arrested," a statement read. The person has been arrested for assault with a weapon and obstructing a police, according to Sergeant Chris Hutchison. "We don't have room for violence or property damage or anything like that," Hutchison. Meanwhile, a plane flying a banner that read "no boys in girls' sports" passed over the California track and field championship Friday in Clovis. Footage provided to Fox News Digital by California activist Beth Bourne showed the plan flying overhead at Buchanan High School's Veterans Memorial Stadium. The stunt was organized by two women's advocacy group, Women are Real and the Independent Council for Women's Sports. "California is beginning to reap the consequences of defying federal law and brazenly harming girls," said Kim Jones, co-founder of ICONS in a press release announcing the aerial banner. "How long will Governor Newsom and legislators in this state continue to prioritize granting a few boys the right to take opportunities and recognition away from girls? Not one single boy should ever be in girls' sports. It's the easiest problem in the world to solve—and the most brazen public 'screw you' to female athletes by Democrat leadership. Since when do we tell a single boy he is more important than every girl in the competition? That he has the right to ruin sports for all of them? It's time for California to pay and it's time to right these wrongs." Witnesses at the event told Fox News Digital that pro-transgender protesters attended the event in support of transgender athlete AB Hernandez. The meet and the California Interscholastic Federation's (CIF) entire track and field postseason has been under a national microscope in recent weeks. Trans athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School has dominated the girls' track and field postseason in 2025, prompting national backlash and even the attention of President Donald Trump. Trump 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. Then 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 CIF announced a pair of rule changes on Tuesday and Wednesday in response to the backlash, expanding the size of the competitor pool and even handing out medals to any "biological female" athlete displaced by a transgender athlete at the meet. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
3 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Activist athletes urge California girls' track title contenders to stand up to trans inclusion at state meet
California high school girls' track and field athletes will compete in the meet of their lives this weekend under the national spotlight at the state championship in Clovis. The meet will double as a battleground for the ongoing culture war over trans athletes in girls' sports, with a trans athlete set to compete in multiple girls' events. Protests and demonstrations are expected by spectators. Whether the athletes protest is yet to be seen. Several prominent former women's athletes who have been impacted by trans inclusion in their careers have expressed support for the girls competing to "stand up" against the California Interscholastic Federation during the event: Scanlan, a former UPenn swimmer, was forced to share a team and locker room with Lia Thomas during the 2021-22 women's swimming season. Scanland became the first UPenn women's swimmer to speak out against the school for allowing Thomas to compete with females, after the controversial season ended. Scanlan skewered California Governor Gavin Newsom for letting the situation in the state get to this point, and encouraged the girls involved to "stand up" on Saturday. "It's make or break for California. This is no longer a bipartisan issue, and even democrats see that. Gavin Newsom couldn't be more out of touch with women. I am beyond grateful that the Trump administration is taking this issue so seriously and I encourage all female athletes to stand up against this. I support them and I know the majority of Americans do too," Scanlan told Fox News Digital. Turner made global headlines at the start of April when she refused to compete and knelt in protest of a trans opponent at a fencing match in Maryland. Turner says she would support the girls competing in Clovis to stand up for themselves as well this weekend. "I fully support these young women standing up against males in the women's track and field events. CIF has stolen the precious high school competitive years from these young ladies and compromised their athletic and scholastic trajectories by allowing males in their category," Turner told Fox News Digital. Turner praised one young woman who has already spoken out, La Canada High School track and field star Katie McGuinness, who urged the CIF to "take action" in amending its policy after finishing second to the trans athlete at a sectional final on May 17. "Katie McGuinness is right, this is a time-sensitive issue and CIF would do well to abandon all transgender policies immediately and comply with both the President's Executive Order and Title IX," Turner said. "These women are extraordinarily brave to be speaking out at their age. This is not easy, but women and girls across the United States thank them for their stand!" McNabb suffered permanent brain injuries after she was spiked in the head by a trans opponent during a high school match in 2022. She has since become a leading ambassador for standing up against trans athletes in girls' and women's sports, and testified before congress alongside Turner at a recent DOGE hearing earlier this month. McNabb reminded girls competing in Clovis this weekend that they have the right to stand up or even "walk away" from the competition. "To the girls competing in California — I know exactly how it feels to lose to a male athlete. It's not fair, and it's not right. You've trained for years, and now you're being pushed aside because officials would rather protect feelings than protect girls. You don't owe silence to anyone," McNabb told Fox News Digital. "If you want to speak up or walk out — do it. You're not alone, and you're not crazy for wanting fairness. Women have fought for decades to have equal opportunities in sports. Letting males take over isn't progress — it's going backwards. To California officials — you're failing these girls. You're letting biological males dominate their sports and take their spots. This isn't equality — it's erasure. And we're done pretending it's okay." Soule, a former high school track and field athlete herself in Connecticut, was one of the first young women to stand up against systems that allow biological males to compete against women in 2018. That year, as a four-time National Qualifier, she was forced out of a regional championship due to two trans athletes taking women's spots and who lost out on the chance to earn attention from college scouts and potential scholarships because of those snubs. Then she began to speak out in interviews with local news outlets. "I understand exactly how all the girls competing in this upcoming championship meet feel as I was in the same situation for 4 years during high school," Soule told Fox News Digital. Soule wouldn't encourage the California athletes to refuse to compete this weekend, but she would support some sort of demonstration by them. "It's easy for people to say that girls should take a stand and refuse to compete against a male athlete but it's not easy to sit it out when you've dedicated long hours training and sacrificed things like parties or sleepovers with friends to qualify for this meet. It's a devastating and demoralizing choice these girls are facing and my heart breaks for them," she said. "If I could say something to each girl in this competition it would be to compete and give it your best. You may have the chance to beat your personal best or break a school record. If you're robbed of the chance to get a higher place or just miss the podium, you could refuse to stand on the podium next to a male with unfair advantage during the awards ceremony and take your rightful place afterwards. I and the vast majority of this country have your back." Soule later sued the state of Connecticut over its gender eligibility policies, and the suit is ongoing. Some California girls' athletes have already taken steps to stand up against the CIF this track and field postseason. Crean Lutheran High Schooler Reese Hogan stepped up into the first-place stand on the medal podium for triple jump at a sectional final on May 17 after the first-place winner, trans athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School, stepped off it. Footage of Hogan's stunt went viral and helped ignite awareness of the situation in California. Before that, during the Southern Sectional Prelims on May 10, several athletes wore shirts that read "Protect Girls Sports" and wielded picket signs that called out the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) for its policies, and some even spoke at a press conference that included activists opposing trans inclusion. However, Fox News Digital previously reported that CIF officials forced multiple girls wearing the shirts to remove them, and the CIF acknowledged the incidents occurred in a statement. Title IX expert Ryan Bangert senior vice president for strategic initiatives and special counsel to the president at the legal advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom told Fox News Digital that the girls have every right to peacefully protest during the weekend's competitions how they see fit. And any retaliation by the CIF against those who protest could be violations of the first amendment. "California needs to be cautious because every sovereign entity and every government entity has an obligation to follow the commands of the first amendment, and California is no different," Bangert said, adding that the state is under even more scrutiny if it tramples on the first amendment in defense of the "failing ideology" of biological males competing in girls' sports. If CIF officials do try to prevent the girls from competing, Bangert suggested there are legal steps they could take in response. "I think those girls would be well advised to consider all their legal rights and remedies in that situation," Bangert said about potential prevention or retaliation against girls who choose to protest this weekend. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Fox News
5 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
DOJ intervening in California trans athlete controversy as Trump monitors girls' track and field championship
Print Close By Jackson Thompson Published May 28, 2025 Attorney General Pam Bondi and the U.S. Department of Justice have turned their eye west in President Donald Trump's battle to counter a wave of trans athletes competing in girls' high school sports. The DOJ announced an investigation into California's high school sports league, the CIF, and California Attorney General Rob Bonta, to determine whether the state has violated Title IX by enabling trans athletes to compete in girls' sports since 2014. "Title IX exists to protect women and girls in education. It is perverse to allow males to compete against girls, invade their private spaces, and take their trophies," Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement. "This Division will aggressively defend women's hard-fought rights to equal educational opportunities." CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON The office of United States Attorney Bill Essayli, who previously served as a California state lawmaker and fought on the ground to support families opposing trans athletes in girls' sports, is also involved in the investigation. "The law is clear: Discrimination on the basis of sex is illegal and immoral," said United States Attorney Bill Essayli. "My office and the rest of the Department of Justice will work tirelessly to protect girls' sports and stop anyone – public officials included – from violating women's civil rights." The announcement cites a current lawsuit filed by the families of two girls' high school athletes at Martin Luther King High School in Riverside, California. The announcement did not identify the plaintiffs by name. The lawsuit, which was filed by the families of Taylor Starling and Kaitlyn Slavin, alleged the school's cross-country team dropped Starling from her varsity spot in favor of a trans athlete, and that school administrators compared their "Save Girls Sports" t-shirts to swastikas, Fox News Digital has previously reported. TEEN GIRLS OPEN UP ON TRANS ATHLETE SCANDAL THAT TURNED THEIR HIGH SCHOOL INTO A CULTURE WAR BATTLEGROUND Starling even testified before the house legislature supporting a pair of bills that would have reversed California's girls' sports eligibility policy on April 1. Both bills failed to pass due to opposition from the Democrat Majority. But now, the lawsuit is being cited in a federal investigation. Trump's Department of Justice has already shown itself willing to sue a state for allowing trans athletes to compete in girls' sports. Bondi announced a lawsuit against Maine on April 16 after weeks of warnings and tension, that included multiple federal funding pauses, which have been restored, and a public spat between Trump and Governor Janet Mills. Starling's father, Ryan Starling, previously told Fox News Digital that he supported Trump's funding cuts to Maine, and would support similar sanctions against his state for allowing trans athletes in girls' sports. "Good," Ryan Starling said in response to seeing the situation in Maine, knowing the same could soon play out in his state. "That's the only thing they answer to, is when their funding is cut and when it actually affects their pocketbooks, that's the only thing that will get it to change. MAINE GIRL INVOLVED IN TRANS ATHLETE BATTLE REVEALS HOW STATE'S POLICIES HURT HER CHILDHOOD AND SPORTS CAREER The situation in Maine was prompted heavily by news of a trans athlete who won a girls' pole vault competition after previously competing in the boys' category. Now, California faces a potential similar outcome in its state track and field championship. The upcoming girls' state title meet will feature a trans athlete competing in girls' long jump and triple jump. The athlete, AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School, has dominated the girls' postseason so far, taking first place in both events in the sectional final on May 17. Trump's Department of Education previously sent a warning to California and Jurupa Valley High School via an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital on May 15. The high school has defended letting Hernandez compete in the girls' category, as to follow current state law. "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 district said in a previous statement provided to Fox News Digital. Trump himself got in on the debate when he sent a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning, warning the state and Governor Gavin Newsom of potential funding cuts, and orders to local authorities to prevent a trans athlete from competing in the girls' category on Saturday. Just hours later, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced it would make a slight rule change for this weekend's championship. The change allows biologically female athletes who fell just shy of qualifying for the championship behind a trans athlete a chance to compete for the title this weekend. Newsom's office provided a statement to Fox News Digital supporting the CIF's decision. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP This change will result in at least two competitors qualifying to compete for the state title after falling just shy of the typical qualification threshold on Saturday. "CIF's proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness — a model worth pursuing. The Governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach," the statement read. Newsom previously admitted he thought biological males competing in girls' sports was "deeply unfair," during an episode of his podcast in March. Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD) where Jurupa Valley High School is based, was included in the DOJ's list of recipients of a letter informing of the incoming investigation, in the department's official announcement on Tuesday. However, the school district claims it has not received any letter of complaint, a spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The DOJ has confirmed to Fox News Digital that the JUSD is named in the letter. Fox News Digital has reached out to the CIF, Bonta's office and Riverside Unified School District for a response. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X , and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter . Print Close URL
