What to Know
- Junior AB Hernandez will be the only openly transgender athlete competing at the CIF State Track and Field meet Friday and Saturday at Buchanan High School in the Fresno County.
- Hernandez's participation in girls high school track and field meets has drawn reaction throughout the season, notably from a school district board president and a state Assembly member.
- On Tuesday, President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from California over the matter.
- Later Tuesday, the CIF announced a change in competition rules at this weekend’s state track and field championships to allow more girls to participate.
- The organization said the decision was reached at the end of the weekend section qualifying meets when Hernandez qualified for the state championships in triple and long jump.
President Trump issued a warning to California leaders Tuesday over a transgender athlete from Jurupa Valley High School who is facing opposition both on and off the track.
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WATCH HEREJunior track and field athlete AB Hernandez will be the only openly transgender competitor at the CIF State Track and Field meet at Buchanan High School in the Fresno County community of Clovis, where qualifying events begin Friday before finals on Saturday.
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SIGN UP Hernandez's participation in girls high school track and field meets has drawn reaction throughout the season, notably from the Chino Valley Unified School District board president and a state Assembly member, and continued this week after section qualifiers over the weekend. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from California over a transgender athlete's participation in female sports, an apparent reference to Hernandez.
In the Truth Social post, Trump threatened to withhold "large scale federal funding" from California if the state doesn't comply with his executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in women's sports. The post did not mention Hernandez by name, but referred to a trans athlete who qualified to compete against girls in an upcoming California state finals competition.
More than one-third of California's budget comes from federal funding, according to the California Budget and Policy Center. The state's 2025-2026 budget includes more than $170 billion in federal funds.
Trump also said he plans to speak with California Gov. Gavin Newsom about the subject. In March, the governor faced pushback from LGBTQ+ advocates for telling conservative commentator Charlie Kirk that it is unfair for trans female athletes to be competing in women’s sports. Newsom added that he has a problem with the rhetoric surrounding the issue and did not view overturning California law on the matter as a priority.
CIF bylaws say all students "should have the opportunity to participate in CIF activities in a manner that is consistent with their gender identity." California law prohibits discrimination, including at schools, based on gender identity.
On Tuesday, the CIF announced a decision the organization said was reached at the end of the weekend section qualifying meets to implement a pilot entry process for the CIF State Track and Field Championships. Under the pilot entry process, any biological female athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their section's automatic qualifying entries in the state meet, and did not meet the at-large mark in the section meet finals, was offered the opportunity to compete in this week's championships.
"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 said in a statement. "With this in mind, the CIF will be implementing a pilot entry process for the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships."
The top six athletes in each event automatically qualify for the CIF State Championships.
Hernandez finished first in the triple jump and long jump at the Southern Section Masters Meet over the weekend at Moorpark High School. She tied for fourth in the high jump at the Masters Meet.
Hernandez is listed as competing in all three events in the CIF championships entries list.
Hernandez, ranked by athletic.net at No. 1 in the triple jump and No. 2 in the long jump, spoke with City News Service at the Masters Meet.
"I leave the controversy out at the meet," Hernandez told City News Service Saturday. "I just relax and… do what I can do, hone in, and leave it all out on the (field) and just focus. Do what I can do and just leave the controversy out."
Hernandez's best mark in the triple jump this year was 41 feet, 4 inches, set May 17 at the CIF Southern Section Finals, according to athletic.net. Kira Grant Hatcher, of St. Mary's College High School in the Bay Area, is ranked second with a jump of 40 feet, 10 1/2 inches. Rancho Cucamonga High School's Lindsey Varner is third with a season-best of 40 feet, 10 inches.
In the long jump, Hernandez ranks second with a jump of 20 feet, 1 1/2 inches, a mark set at a meet in March. Katie McGuinness, of La Canada High School, is No. 1 with a jump of 20 feet, 4 inches.
Hernandez has been a member of the team for three years, placing third in the triple jump in the CIF State Track and Field meet as a sophomore.
Hernandez was also part of the Jurupa Valley High School girls volleyball team in the fall, which reached the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 8 girls volleyball playoffs.
Sonja Shaw, the president of the Chino Valley Unified School District and a candidate for California superintendent of public instruction, has expressed opposition to Hernandez's participation in girls events. She said the district sent a letter to the White House, requesting President Trump's intervention.
"We will keep fighting, and our girls will win," Shaw told CNS. "Our district has already sent a letter to President Trump asking him to intervene because one daughter hurt is one too many. This is the hill we are willing to die on, and we are not standing alone.
"I will continue to file claims with the Office of Civil Rights, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Education. Advocates for Faith & Freedom already has a lawsuit in motion, and California Family Council has launched a petition."
Republican Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez, of Rancho Santa Margarita, introduced a bill in January that would have changed the CIF rules on transgender athletes competing in high school sports. It would have banned athletes whose gender was assigned male at birth from competing in girls sports, but the bill failed in a committee by a 7-2 vote on April 2.
About 3.3% of high school students identify as transgender, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
City News Service contributed to this report.
