City News Service
JURUPA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ) – Amid criticism — including from the White House — over a transgender Jurupa Valley High School athlete participating in this weekend’s state track and field championships, the organization that oversees California high school sports announced a change today to ensure “biological female” athletes are not excluded from the competition.
The rule change from the California Interscholastic Federation, described as a “pilot entry process,” essentially expands the field of competitors in events at the CIF State meet set for Friday and Saturday in Clovis.
“Under this pilot entry process, any biological female student- athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section’s automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet, and did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet, was extended an opportunity to participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships,” according to CIF. “The CIF believes this pilot entry process achieves the participation opportunities we seek to afford our student-athletes.”
The CIF statement did not specifically mention transgender athletes, although the governor’s office noted the change is aimed at ensuring biological female athletes won’t be displaced from this weekend’s meet, while still allowing transgender athletes to compete.
“CIF’s proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness — a model worth pursuing,” the governor’s office Director of Communications Izzy Gardon said in a statement. “The governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach.”
AB Hernandez, a junior on the Jurupa Valley High School track and field team, will be the only openly transgender athlete competing at the CIF State Track and Field meet at Buchanan High School in Clovis Friday and Saturday. She is ranked as one of the top athletes in California, ranked by athletic.net No. 1 in the triple jump and No. 2 in the long jump.
Hernandez won the girls invitational portion of the prestigious Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut in April and CIF Southern Section Division 3 titles in May at Moorpark High School in the long jump and triple jump.
Despite Hernandez’s success, the board president of the Chino Valley Unified School District, a state Assembly member, and President Donald Trump are trying to prevent the junior from competing in girls high school track and field meets.
“I leave the controversy out at the meet,” Hernandez told City News Service at the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet at Moorpark High School on Saturday. “I just relax and … do what I can do, hone in, and leave it all out on the (field) and just focus. Do what I can do and just leave the controversy out.”
Hernandez finished first in the triple jump and long jump at the Masters Meet and qualified for the CIF State Track and Field meet in both events. She tied for fourth in the high jump at the Masters Meet and did not qualify for the CIF State meet in that event.
Hernandez’s participation in high school girls track and field meets has drawn the attention and ire of Sonja Shaw, the president of the Chino Valley Unified School District and a candidate for California superintendent of public instruction.
Shaw has been attending high school track and field meets in the district to draw attention to Hernandez competing in girls events. Shaw is vocally opposed to Hernandez, the only known transgender athlete competing in girls high school sports in the Chino Valley Unified School District, participating in girls high school track and field meets.
“We will keep fighting, and our girls will win,” Shaw told CNS. “Our district has already sent a letter to President Trump asking him to intervene because one daughter hurt is one too many. This is the hill we are willing to die on, and we are not standing alone.”
“I will continue to file claims with the Office of Civil Rights, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Education. Advocates for Faith & Freedom already has a lawsuit in motion, and California Family Council has launched a petition.”
Trump posted on social media Tuesday that he will withhold federal funding from California if transgender athletes are allowed to compete in girls sports, and he called on local authorities to prevent Hernandez from competing in the CIF State meet.
“California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newsom, continues to ILLEGALLY allow `MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS.’ This week a transitioned male athlete, at a major event, won `everything,’ and is now qualified to compete in the `State Finals’ next weekend.”
The athlete Trump is presumably referring to is Hernandez.
“As a male, he was a less than average competitor. As a female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable. THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS. 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. The Governor, himself, said it is `UNFAIR.’ I will speak to him today to find out which way he wants to go??? In the meantime I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!”
The governor’s office stressed that the decision by CIF to implement the pilot rule change for this weekend’s state track and field meet was made prior to Trump’s social media post.
Hernandez also played on the Jurupa Valley High School girls volleyball team in the fall. Jurupa Valley reached the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 8 girls volleyball playoffs.
Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda Hernandez, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Shaw in response to comments Shaw posted on her Instagram account. The comments were directed at AB Hernandez about biological males competing in high school girls sports.
Shaw brought the letter and read parts of it during a school board meeting in March.
When Shaw was finished reading the letter, she tore it in half and said, “This is how I feel about the letter.”
“I ripped up the cease-and-desist letter in front of the board and I’d do it again,” Shaw said. “That letter was nothing more than an intimidation tactic designed to silence truth and protect an agenda that’s hurting our girls. I’m not here to cower to threats or political theater. I’m here to stand for reality, fairness, and the rights of young women who are being erased in real time.”
AB Hernandez has competed on the Jurupa Valley High School track and field team for three years. As a sophomore, AB Hernandez was third in the triple jump in the CIF State Track and Field meet at Buchanan High School in Clovis in 2024.
“I couldn’t be any prouder regardless of all the noise,” Nereyda Hernandez said. “She’s successful. She is first place, and it’s her third year. I couldn’t be any prouder.”
Following the CIF Southern Section Masters Meet at Moorpark High School, AB Hernandez was ranked first by athletic.net in the state in the triple jump at 41 feet, 4 inches, set in April at the Mt. SAC Relays. Kira Gant Hatcher from St. Mary’s College is ranked second at 40 feet, 10.5 inches set at the CIF North Coast Section Meet of Champions on Saturday.
AB Hernandez is ranked second in the state by athletic.net in the long jump at 20 feet, 1.5 inches, set in March in a meet against La Sierra High School. Katie McGuinness from La Cañada High School was ranked No. 1 in the state in the long jump at 20 feet, 4 inches, set in April at the CIF Southern Section Division 3 preliminary meet.
AB Hernandez won the long jump and triple jump at the CIF Southern Section Division 3 finals at Moorpark High School on May 17. Hernandez won the long jump by 3 1/4 inches over McGuinness.
Hernandez won the triple jump by 4-feet, 2-inches over Reese Hogan, a junior from Crean Lutheran, and was the only triple jumper to break 41 feet.
At the Southern Section finals, AB Hernandez stood on the first-place podium after winning the triple jump with Hogan standing on the second-place podium. When AB Hernandez stepped off the first-place podium, Hogan stepped on to it. Photos and video of Hogan on the first-place podium were posted online and on social media, drawing more attention, not all of it supportive, to AB Hernandez competing in girls track and field meets and winning events.
AB Hernandez beat McGuinness in the long jump and Hogan in the triple jump at the Masters Meet. All three qualified for the CIF State meet. The top six athletes in each event automatically qualified to compete in the CIF State meet.
“At state, it’s a different environment,” AB Hernandez said. “Everyone’s pushing for that No. 1 spot.”
When asked about competing against McGuinness in track and field meets, AB Hernandez said, “It’s always nerve-racking coming from (CIF) prelims where she got first, I was definitely nervous. I just need to relax and do what I can do.”
Assembywoman Kate Sanchez, a Republican from Rancho Santa Margarita, introduced a bill in January that would change the California Interscholastic Federation — CIF — rules regarding transgender athletes competing in high school sports. It would have banned biological males from competing in girls sports.
The bill, Assembly Bill 89, would have required CIF to change its constitution, bylaws and policies to prohibit pupils whose gender was assigned male at birth from participating in high school girls sports.
Sanchez said at a committee meeting in Sacramento on April 1 that allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls high school sports has had devastating consequences across the country. Changing CIF rules regarding transgender athletes was part of the solution, she said.
“It simply requires California Interscholastic Federation to align with federal policy ensuring that high school girls competitive sports are reserved for biological females,” Sanchez said at the committee hearing. “Let’s be clear. It is not about hate, it is not about fear, and it’s not about right-wing talking points. This is entirely about fairness, safety, and integrity in girls competitive high school athletics.”
The bill failed in a committee by a 7-2 vote on April 2.
At the committee hearing, several people made comments in support and opposition to the bill.
Three high schools joined Shaw and Sanchez opposing AB Hernandez competing in high school girls athletics. JSerra Catholic High School, Orange Lutheran High School and Crean Lutheran High School signed letters stating their disappointment in CIF’s failure to respect and protect female athletes and opposed CIF’s gender identity policy. The letter was posted on social media via California Justice Center attorney Julie Hamill on May 9, prior to the CIF Southern Section preliminary track and field finals May 10.
“As a school, we are working our way through a significant issue deeply intertwined with a fundamental aspect of our mission. Tomorrow four of our female student-athletes will be competing in the CIF Track & Field State Prelims,” the letter to parents from JSerra said. “Unfortunately, in three of these events our young women will be competing against a young man (who identifies as a female). He will likely dominate the competition and handily win all three events. To be clear, we hold no malice toward this particular student. We do feel compelled, however, to take a stand for the right, duties and dignity of our young women.”
On social media, the comments regarding AB Hernandez are more threatening and intimidating. Daisy Gardner, a friend of the Hernandez family, said the family has received death threats in social media posts and there are coordinated campaigns of harassment against transgender athletes, not only AB Hernandez.
“Some of the scariest people are coming out of the woodwork saying they wish harm on this family and this kid,” Gardner said. “I cannot tell you how impressive it has been to see a child compete and focus on her sport.”
In the United States, about 3.3% of high school students identify as transgender, according to a 2023 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As many as 122,000 transgender youth, ages 13 to 17, could be participating in high school team athletics, according to the Williams Institute.
“We don’t keep statistics on transgender athletes,” said Thom Simmons, assistant commissioner of the CIF Southern Section. “It’s not a data point we keep.”
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