After a transgender athlete from Jurupa Valley High School qualified for three events, the California high school track and field championships got underway on Friday under new regulations.
Following a week of events surrounding her involvement in the girls’ contests, junior AB Hernandez will compete in the high jump, triple jump, and long jump events at the meet in the Fresno County hamlet of Clovis.
New regulations that let more females to compete and win medals in the three events Hernandez qualified for are in effect, and qualifying events are scheduled for Friday afternoon, beginning at 3 and 6 p.m. Finals are slated for Saturday.
A week after the U.S. Department of Justice, the California Interscholastic Federation, and President Trump weighed in on Hernandez’s inclusion in the finals, the competition gets underway.
Throughout the season, her involvement in high school track and field competitions for girls has sparked criticism, particularly from a state Assembly member and the board president of the Chino Valley Unified School District.
After Hernandez placed first in both the long and triple jumps at the Southern Section Masters Meet held at Moorpark High School over the weekend, the attention grew. At the Masters Meet, she tied for fourth place in the high jump.
California’s high school sports governing body announced this week that it will permit an additional athlete to compete in the three events in which a trans athlete is competing, and possibly offer an additional medal after finals.
This could be the first attempt in the country to increase participation because of a trans athlete’s qualification. At the CIF State Track & Field meet, Hernandez will be the only competitor who is openly transgender.
In each event, the top 12 finishers from Friday’s qualifying move on to Saturday’s finals by mark.
According to the organization, a transgender athlete’s ranking would not prevent a “biological female” student from winning a medal under the experimental program.
The federation did not define “biological female” or provide a method for determining whether a contender satisfies that requirement.
“The CIF values all of our student-athletes and we will continue to uphold our mission of providing students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete while complying with California law and Education Code,” the CIF stated “With this in mind, the CIF will be implementing a pilot entry process for the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships.”
According to California state law, transgender children are permitted to play on sex-segregated teams that reflect their gender identity.
Following President Trump’s threat on Tuesday to reduce federal funding for California because to trans athletes’ involvement in girls’ sports, CIF announced that it was effectively increasing the number of girls who could compete at the state meet and advance to the finals in the jump events.
Related Story: DOJ Investigates California Over Law Permitting Trans Athletes in Girls’ Sports
The CIF stated that during the section meets over the weekend, it decided to amend the rules.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday that it is looking into whether a California law that permits transgender athletes to play high school sports for girls is in violation of the historic Title IX federal civil rights law.
Title IX, the federal law that forbids sex discrimination in educational programs or institutions that receive U.S. government financing, will be examined to see if California’s School Success and Opportunity Act, or AB 1266, is in contradiction with it.
