Introduction to the Controversy
Clovis, California (CNN) — The transgender high school athlete whose participation in this weekend’s California track and field championships prompted President Donald Trump to threaten to remove state funding reached the podium in all three of her events Saturday.
A.B. Hernandez’s Achievements
A.B. Hernandez, a public high school junior in Southern California, took first place in the high jump and the triple jump, and finished in second place in the long jump in the finals. Following criticism from some in the community who said A.B.’s participation prevented lower-ranked competitors from advancing to the championships this weekend, the high school sports governing body allowed more cisgender girls, whose gender identity conforms with their sex assigned at birth, to compete.
Adjustments to Competition Rules
The California Interscholastic Federation also said if a transgender athlete earned medals in an event, their ranking wouldn’t prevent a “biological female” from medaling as well, the Associated Press reported. 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 Reactions
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 meet resumed shortly after. She placed first in long jump, high jump and triple jump in the preliminary round Friday as a group protested her ability to compete, holding signs reading, “Save Girls Sports” and cheered while an airplane with a banner reading, “No Boys in Girls’ Sports” flew over the stadium.
Parental and Community Views
“I don’t think that having a male in female competition is fair competition,” one protester told CNN, who misgendered A.B. while saying as an athlete, she should compete in her “biological field.” Most parents who came with their children to the meet, however, said they don’t want the issue to be politicized and want the focus to remain on the competition. Dan Usher, who brought his teen son to compete in the shot put events from Woodside High School in the San Francisco Bay Area, said he hoped the issue can be resolved at once. “They are going to have to decide,” Usher said. “Everybody wants to focus on the excellent performances. Instead, there are some distractions.”
National Implications
In Washington State, which allows athletes to participate in programs consistent with their gender identity, another transgender high school athlete, also won a track and field title at the state championships this weekend. Verónica Garcia won first place in the girls 400 dash 2A. In an interview with CNN affiliate KXLY last year, the 17-year-old explained her decision to compete on the girls’ team. “If I’m gonna start living my life as a woman, it would make more sense to compete on the women’s team – but also for my own safety, if I remained on the boys team,” Garcia told the outlet.
New Rule for Championships
Application and Implications
In California, the state’s Interscholastic Federation announced a new policy on Tuesday which only applied to this weekend’s meet, allowing “biological female” student athletes who would otherwise have earned a qualifying mark – if not for the participation of trans students – entry to the finals. The top 12 finishers in most events in Friday’s preliminary round advanced to Saturday’s state finals in Clovis but in the three events A.B. was part of, the top 13 finishers were allowed to compete.
Federal Involvement and Funding Threats
The same day, Trump said on Truth Social, “large scale” federal funding “will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to,” referencing his February directive titled, “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports.” A day after Trump’s announcement, the Justice Department said it was investigating whether California’s School Success and Opportunity Act violates the federal Title IX law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs or activities receiving federal money.
Protesters’ Claims of Biological Advantage
On Friday afternoon, a protester in support of trans athletes competing was arrested at the intersection in front of the stadium where the meet was taking place after assaulting an adult male who was on
