Controversy has followed AB Hernandez from the track to the court.
Hernandez, a 17-year-old senior transgender athlete at Jurupa Valley (Calif.) High School, drew national headlines this past spring when she won three medals in the state track and field championships
Now, as reported by the Los Angeles Times, Hernandez "finds herself in an unwanted spotlight again after multiple rivals chose to forfeit volleyball matches rather than play against her and Jurupa Valley High teammates."
According to Kevin Baxter of the Times, three schools said they would not to take the court for their scheduled non-league matches with the Lady Jags this month, including Orange Vista High in Perris declaring it would be a no-show for Friday’s match at Jurupa Valley. Baxter reports that the event no longer appears on the Orange Vista school website or on the volleyball team’s schedule, although it was still listed on the Jurupa Valley calendar as of Wednesday morning.
The Lady Jags’ next scheduled non-league match is Sept. 4 against Chaffey, which has promised to participate, Baxter reported.
“We made a decision to play against Jurupa Valley in volleyball because it is an equitable match-up,” Chaffey athletic director Chris Brown wrote in an email to the Times. “Chaffey and Jurupa Valley play each other in several sports. We make decisions on the basis for what is best for our kids and school.
“A few years back we had COVID and kids couldn’t play at all for a while. It brings joy to my heart that we can have young people out there competing against each other, period.”
California law permits transgender females to take part in sports that align with their gender identity. However, that didn't stop the controversy from reaching the highest levels of the federal government.
Related: California Refuses to Comply With Trump Demand on Transgender Athletes
"Hernandez helped the Lady Jags to the Southern Section Division 5 volleyball playoffs last fall before winning both the high jump and triple jump and placing second in the long jump at the state track meet in the spring," Baxter wrote. "Although Hernandez came out as trans in the eighth grade, she had largely competed anonymously in high school, finishing third in the triple jump in the 2024 state track meet, before being outed publicly by Jessica Tapia, a former Jurupa Valley teacher, who revealed the teenager‘s identity in a number of social media posts."
