AB Hernandez shares podium with biological girls under new ‘pilot’ rules after President blasts participation as ‘TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN’ • Protesters shout ‘No boys in girls sports’ as plane flies banner overhead • Mother hits back at critics: ‘That is not the America I believe in’
A 16-year-old transgender athlete who was born male has won two gold medals and a silver at the California high school track and field championships – sparking national outrage and prompting President Trump to threaten to strip the state of billions in federal funding.
AB Hernandez, a junior at Jurupa Valley High School, took first place in both the high jump and triple jump on Saturday evening, while finishing second in the long jump, after dominating the girls’ competition at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Clovis, California.
The victories came despite fierce protests from parents, conservative activists and even the President himself, who branded the participation “TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS” and threatened to withhold California’s federal funding “maybe permanently” if the state didn’t bar Hernandez from competing.
In extraordinary scenes, protesters with megaphones shouted “no boys in girls sports” as Hernandez warmed up for events, while a plane circled overhead for more than an hour trailing a banner reading: “NO BOYS IN GIRLS’ SPORTS!
TRUMP’S FURY
President Trump unleashed his fury on Truth Social on Tuesday, threatening California’s Governor Gavin Newsom:
President Donald Trump on Tuesday threatened to strip ‘large scale federal funding’ from California if the state goes against his executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in women’s sports.
The President wrote that “THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS” and declared he would speak with Newsom to “find out which way he wants to go” on the issue.
“That funding could be withheld ‘permanently’ if California continues to flout the Feb. 5 order, Trump warned on Truth Social.”
The threat is significant – “Over one-third of the state’s budget comes from the federal government, according to the California Budget and Policy Center. The state’s 2025-2026 budget includes more than $170 billion in federal funds.
DOMINATING THE COMPETITION
Hernandez’s results at the championship were:
- High Jump: GOLD – “5 feet, 7 inches (1.7 meters), with no failed attempts”
- Triple Jump: GOLD – shared first place under new rules
- Long Jump: SILVER – finished second
The teenager had already won CIF Southern Section titles earlier in May, “winning the triple jump by nearly 7 feet, the long jump by more than 3 feet, and the high jump by a foot” at the River Valley League championships.
Hernandez currently holds the state’s top marks in long jump (20-1.5) and triple jump (41-4) in girls track and field.”
NEW ‘PILOT’ RULES SPARK CONTROVERSY
In response to the controversy, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) introduced unprecedented new rules just days before the championship:
The CIF said in a statement that it would invite ‘any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark’ to compete in the 2025 State Track and Field Championships.
Under this “pilot entry process”:
- Additional biological female athletes were allowed to compete
- If a transgender athlete earned medals in an event, their ranking wouldn’t prevent a ‘biological female’ from medaling as well
- “That means A.B. shared her top spot with two co-winners in the high jump and one co-winner in the triple jump”
PROTESTS AND PINK BRACELETS
The atmosphere at the championship was electric with controversy:
- 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!'”
- As A.B. was warming up for her first field event Saturday, protesters outside the stadium used a megaphone to yell ‘no boys in girl sports‘ multiple times until the public address announcer interrupted the meet and demanded ‘respect for the athletes’
The protests were organized by groups including Women Are Real and the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, who oppose transgender athletes in women’s competitions.
MOTHER’S EMOTIONAL DEFENSE
Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda, has fiercely defended her child against what she calls “bullying” and “harassment”:
In a statement, Hernandez’s mother said she is heartbroken that her daughter is being targeted simply for being who she is.
She hit back at Trump and other critics, saying: “That is not the America I believe in.
“A.B.’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.”
She added that those who have “doxed, harassed and violated my daughter A.B.’s privacy” are “not only shameful, but they are also abusive” and have created a “hostile and unsafe environment for a minor.”
TEEN SPEAKS OUT
Hernandez, in a rare interview with Capital & Main, dismissed critics and their claims of biological advantage:
“I’m still a child, you’re an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person”, the teenager said.
When critics claimed she was “unbeatable” due to being born male, Hernandez pointed to mixed results in some competitions: “All I thought was, I don’t think you understand that this puts your idiotic claims to trash”, referencing times when she placed eighth in high jump and third in long jump at other meets.
The athlete described a grueling training regime: “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.”
POLITICAL FIRESTORM
The controversy has ignited a political firestorm in California:
LOCAL OFFICIALS BLAST PARTICIPATION
- Fresno County Supervisor Gary Bredefeld declared: “Transgenderism is not something to be celebrated but psychologically treated by mental health professionals. These are disturbed folks and the charade has gone on for too long.”
- The mayor of Clovis also opposed Hernandez competing
SCHOOLS TAKE A STAND Three Catholic high schools – JSerra, Orange Lutheran, and Crean Lutheran – issued a joint letter expressing “disappointment in CIF’s failure to respect and protect our female athletes and our strong opposition to CIF’s Gender Identity Policy.”
ACTIVISTS MOBILIZE
- Sonja Shaw, president of the Chino Valley school board and 2026 candidate for California superintendent, confronted Hernandez’s mother, saying: “What a coward of a woman you are, allowing that
- Riley Gaines, former All-American swimmer, called Hernandez “a fraud enabled by @CIFSS, @CA_Dem & @CAgovernor”
THE SCIENCE DEBATE
The controversy highlights the ongoing debate about transgender athletes in sports:
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
Critics argue that “male-born athletes have physical advantages that females cannot match, including greater muscle mass, lower body fat, stronger bones, and greater lung and heart capacity.
However, “Trans athletes and advocates, meanwhile, say trans people deserve the right to compete alongside their peers and reap the proven social, physical and mental benefits of sports.”
NEWSOM’S DILEMMA
Governor Gavin Newsom finds himself in a difficult position. While he previously said transgender athletes in women’s sports was “an issue of fairness” and “deeply unfair”, he has not moved to change California’s 12-year-old law allowing trans athletes to compete.
Out of the 5.8 million students in California’s public school system, there are estimated to be fewer than 10 active trans student-athletes, according to the governor’s office.
His spokesperson called the CIF’s new pilot program “a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness.”
FEDERAL INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED
The federation has said it will continue to comply with state law requiring schools to allow students to compete based on gender identity, prompting the Department of Education to launch a Title IX investigation.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
With Trump threatening to withhold potentially $170 billion in federal funding and California refusing to back down, the stage is set for a massive legal battle.
Such a move would almost certainly lead to a legal challenge by California, which has already sued over multiple Trump actions it says are illegal or unconstitutional.
Meanwhile, AB Hernandez continues to train, with the support of most fellow athletes who “were just shocked that people would actually come to do that, and really bully a child.”
As one parent at the meet said: “They are going to have to decide… Everybody wants to focus on the excellent performances. Instead, there are some distractions.”
