AB Hernandez, a 16-year-old transgender athlete from Southern California, has shared her thoughts after clinching a state track-and-field title amidst ongoing public discussions and protests regarding her participation.
Hernandez, who represents Jurupa Valley High School, secured gold in the triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state championship on May 31, achieving a jump of 42 feet 2 inches. She tied for first place with Kira Grant Hatcher, who had a jump of 40 feet 5 inches.
Before the competition, CIF introduced a policy aimed at maintaining rankings for cisgender female athletes competing alongside transgender athletes. This new rule guarantees that any student finishing behind a transgender athlete will keep their ranking. It also permitted an extra cisgender female competitor in each event that Hernandez participated in.
Even with these regulations, Hernandez’s involvement led to protests at several meets, including the state championship. Demonstrators assembled outside the venue, criticizing CIF’s policy and claiming it undermines fairness in girls’ sports.
In a conversation with KCRA, Hernandez confronted the backlash head-on: “It’s definitely crazy. I get a lot of hate comments, but I’m like, ‘I don’t care.’ I’m a 16-year-old girl with a mad attitude, you think I’m going to care?”
She also referred to the protestors at high school sporting events as “just weird,” noting that the atmosphere inside the stadium was filled with support: “I wasn’t expecting any of it, to be honest. I was just expecting to go out there and compete alone, but the support was amazing. They really made my experience perfect. I’ll forever be grateful.
Hernandez also shared first place in the varsity high jump final with Jillene Wetteland and Lelanie Laruelle, standing on the podium together under the same CIF rule. “I did what I wanted to do,” she stated. “My performance was everything I aimed for. So all this backlash… I gave it my all, and that’s what mattered to me.”
The controversy has spread beyond the track. President Donald Trump commented on the situation, using his platform Truth Social to criticize California’s policy. “California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum [sic], continues to ILLEGALLY allow ‘MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS,’” Trump wrote.
He also threatened to cut federal funding to the state unless it followed his February executive order aimed at “protecting women’s sports.” Although federal education funds, estimated at $250 million, were briefly in jeopardy, the White House eventually released them despite legal challenges.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would review California’s School Success and Opportunity Act, which permits transgender students to compete in sports according to their gender identity, to see if it conflicts with Title IX, the federal civil rights law that bans sex-based discrimination in education.
As the legal and political disputes carry on, Hernandez stays focused on her sport and is unapologetically proud of her performance.