The mother of California transgender track athlete AB Hernandez shared a post on social media slamming school officials for allowing biological female athletes to share a podium at state competitions.
Hernandez, of Jurupa Valley High School, took first place in the long jump, high jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section finals in Division 3 over the weekend. During the podium ceremonies, it was announced that each event had two co-champions based on a rule the high school sports governing body implemented last year.
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The trans athlete was absent from the first ceremony but later shared the top podium spot with Oak Park High School’s Gwynneth Mureika. Hernandez was at the third ceremony, but co-champion Malia Strange, of Shadow Hills, was absent.
Hernandez’s mother shared a post from Rainbow Families Action, criticizing CIF officials.
“All these big tough ex-athletes at CIF, and the most courage they could muster was to hand this to coaches at AB’s meet today,” the post read. “Not one of them was brave enough to look her or her mother in the eye and say ‘This whole project of violating Ed Code is aimed at you. A child.’”
The post also called out the California Department of Education and state superintendent Tony Thurmond, adding “what are you going to do? Government sanctioned bullying of a kid?”
Rainbow Families Action shared a note from CIF officials reminding parents that the CIF would allow biological females to share the podium with a trans athlete if the competition fell that way.
The pilot program was put in place after Hernandez advanced to the state final, which prompted President Donald Trump to speak out against California and Gov. Gavin Newsom in a Truth Social post in the days leading up to the final.
Hernandez, now a Southern Section champion again, along with all the other winners will move onto the CIF preliminaries next Saturday to face the rest of the state’s top female jumpers, with a chance to get back to the state finals. The two-day state finals begin on May 29 in Clovis, California.
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The CIF enacted a pilot program for the state finals last May that awarded any female athlete that finished behind a trans athlete one higher spot, which resulted in girls sharing podium spots with Hernandez for the championship. The program also ensured any female athlete who finished one spot out of qualifying for the state finals in events that included a trans competitor, to compete for the title as well.
Trump’s Department of Justice then filed a Title IX lawsuit against the state’s education agencies in July of last year, after Hernandez won two state titles and finished in second place in another.
Hernandez then competed for Jurupa Valley’s girls’ volleyball team in the fall, as several teams forfeited to Jurupa Valley and two other players on the same team filed a Title IX lawsuit against the Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD) for putting the trans athlete on the girls’ team and locker room.
“The CIF values all our student-athletes, and we will continue to uphold our mission in providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete, while complying with California law and Education code,” its note read.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
