Latest news with #transathletes
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Masked flag-wielding trans protestor arrested for attacking activist at California state track championships
A masked pro-trans protestor was arrested at the California state high school track-and-field championships this weekend after allegedly using a Progress Pride flag to attack an activist journalist who had been demonstrating at the controversial meet. Ethan Kroll is identified as the 19-year-old man booked Friday for assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, obstructing public officer and vandalism under $400, according to the Fresno County Sheriff's Office website. Kroll was released on Saturday evening. The arrest was first reported by local media after viral video of the incident was recorded by Josh Fulfer, a crowd-funded reporter protesting in support of 'the female athletes that were having to compete against a male,' as he told Fresno's Fox affiliate. This weekend's meet outside Fresno was the latest front line in the ongoing debate over trans athletes in female sports. In defiance of Donald Trump and his executive order, trans athlete AB Hernandez claimed gold in the girls high jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state finals. 'We were out there for a couple of hours, had no incident whatsoever,' Fulfer told Fox 26 of his protests on Friday. After seeing the masked protester, Fulfer admittedly said something amounting to: 'If you're so proud of your cause, why do you have a mask on?' I was targeted and violently assaulted today by transtifa when me and my family were leaving the CIF State Championship @ Veterans Memorial Stadium This person called me out by name before striking me multiple times with their flag pole. Fortunately I was able to pepper spray… — Oreo Express (@OreoExpress) May 30, 2025 Ethan Kroll is identified as the 19-year-old man booked Friday for assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, obstructing public officer and vandalism under $400 'Next thing I know, that person is darting out across the intersection and I hit 'record' when they're about 10 feet away. And they started assaulting me with the flagpole through my driver's-side window.' Fulfer said he reached for his pepper spray at the urging of his wife and sprayed the protestor in the face. 'That got the flagpole out of the vehicle, and then they started vandalizing the car, hitting the top of the roof of the car and the door of the car.' After running a red light and finding a safe place to park, Fulfer said he got out to witness Clovis (California) police jumping the fence to make the arrest. Fufler said he suffered some bruises and scrapes as a result of the attack. Police have said an investigation is ongoing. Daily Mail's attempts to reach Kroll have been unsuccessful. An attorney for Kroll was not listed on the Fresno County Sheriff's Office website. As for the meet, Hernandez competed under a new rule, allowing for the possibility of multiple winners in events in which she competed. Hernandez finished the high jump with a mark of 5-foot-7 (1.7 meters), with no failed attempts. Co-winners Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also cleared that height after each logged a failed attempt. The three shared the first-place win, smiling as they stepped together onto the podium. Hernandez wrapped up the night with a first-place finish in the triple jump, sharing the top spot with Kira Gant Hatcher who trailed by just over a half-meter. Earlier in the afternoon, Hernandez placed second in the long jump. The CIF announced the new policy earlier this week in response to Hernandez's success heading into the championships. Under the policy, the federation allowed an additional student to compete and medal in the events where Hernandez qualified. The two-day championship kicked off Friday in sweltering heat at a high school near Fresno. Temperatures reached the triple digits during Saturday's finals. The atmosphere was relatively quiet despite critics - including parents, conservative activists and President Donald Trump - calling for Hernandez to be barred from competing. Some critics wore pink bracelets and T-shirts that read, 'Save Girls' Sports.' During Friday's qualifying events, an aircraft circled above the stadium for more than an hour with a banner: 'No Boys in Girls' Sports!' Two groups that oppose transgender athletes participating in women's sports - the Independent Council on Women's Sports and Women Are Real - took credit for flying the banner. The federation's rule change reflected efforts to find a middle ground in the debate over trans girls' participation in youth sports. 'The CIF values all of our student-athletes and we will continue to uphold our mission of providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete while complying with California law,' the group said in a statement after announcing its rule change. A recent AP-NORC poll found that about 7 in 10 U.S. adults think transgender female athletes should not be allowed to participate in girls and women's sports at the high school, college or professional level. That view was shared by about 9 in 10 Republicans and roughly half of Democrats. The federation announced the change after Trump threatened to pull federal funding from California unless it bars trans female athletes from competing on girls teams. The federation said it decided on the change before then. 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.
Free Malaysia Today
3 days ago
- General
- Free Malaysia Today
Trans teen competes in US high school athletics championships
The participation of trans athletes in women's sports events has been the subject of intense controversy. (AFP pic) SAN FRANCISCO : A transgender high school athlete shrugged off scattered protests and heated criticism from president Donald Trump to reach the finals of multiple events at California's state championships today. AB Hernandez, 16, was the top qualifier for tomorrow's finals in the girls' long jump and girls' high jump at the California State Track & Field Championships in Clovis, outside of Fresno. Hernandez's participation at the meeting has been the subject of intense controversy, with the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) scrambling to adjust competition rules this week as anger grew on all sides. About a dozen protesters outside the venue sported T-shirts and signs reading 'Save girls sports.' On Tuesday, CIF officials announced that entry rules had been modified so that biological females were not excluded from competition due to the participation of trans athletes. A day later, CIF issued another rule change – specifically targeting events in which Hernandez was qualified to compete – which mandates that any athlete who misses out on a podium finish behind a trans athlete would still receive a medal. 'If necessary, in the high jump, triple jump and long jump events at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships, a biological female student-athlete who would have earned a specific placement on the podium will also be awarded the medal for that place and the results will be reflected in the recording of the event,' the federation announced in a statement. The last-minute rules changes came after days of controversy which have included Hernandez being targeted by Trump on social media. The US President, who did not mention Hernandez by name, threatened to withhold federal funding from California in future if she was allowed to compete in this week's championships, which got underway today with finals due tomorrow. 'As a female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS,' Trump wrote. 'Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to…This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!' Trump's comment was followed by an announcement from the US department of justice that it had launched an investigation into whether California had violated Title IX, the law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programmes that receive federal funding. Local and state officials have also criticised Hernandez's participation, calling for the teenager to be prevented from competing. At a press conference yesterday, Clovis mayor Diane Pearce called for CIF to block Hernandez's participation following their rule amendments earlier in the week. 'Today, I call on CIF to do the right thing. Updates one and two were not enough, but the third time can be the charm,' Pearce said. 'CIF still has a chance to make it right by removing biological males from girls' sports.'
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.
The Independent
4 days ago
- General
- The Independent
California track-and-field final enters spotlight for rule change after trans athlete's success
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. ___
Associated Press
4 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
