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CLOVIS, Calif. — After overcoming intense pressure to quit from President Trump, dozens of local protesters and other prominent critics of women’s sports trans athletes, 16-year-old AB Hernandez won many peers to win multiple gold medals at California’s high school athletics championships on Saturday.
Transgender Junior at Jurupa Valley High School – Despite instructions from Trump, she competed to be forbidden to do so, but won the state title with Girls Triple Jump and Girls High Jump and second in Girls Long Jump.
Hernandez’s success at the 2025 CIF Athletics Championships in Clovis occurred in high temperatures all day, at temperatures above 100 degrees, and under intense spotlights.
Earlier in the week, Trump said on social media that he was “ordering local governments when necessary” to ensure Hernandez compete. Protesters gathered outside the conference on both Friday and Saturday to condemn her inclusion and appropriate state laws that allow LGBTQ+ to do so.
Nevertheless, Hernandez seemed to be focused as he settled and competed. When her name was announced for the Long Jump, she waved to the crowd. She smiled when she was announced for the high jump.
Hernandez beat all other competitors in the triple jump, but was also awarded runner-up under new rules established by the California governing federation after Trump issued a threat.
Hernandez joined the other two girls in the high jump, and the three all cleared the same height and shared gold.
Hernandez’s mother, Nereida Hernandez, praised her after the events of a statement provided to the Times, saying, “As your mother, I cannot fully express your pride.”
“When I saw you rise over a few months, judged by an adult who should know better than a peer, rather than by a friend, I made you so proud of your strength,” said my mother. “Nevertheless, you kept focusing. You continued to train, you continued to show up, and now you’re bringing back money!!!
During some of Hernandez’s jumps, protesters at bulls from outside the Buchanan High School stadium “No boys in girls sports!” federal government officials between California banned protest signs in facilities, but outside the protesters, “Children are not born with the wrong body,” “Trans Girls Boys: CIFs Better,” “She trains to win. Will she take the trophy?”
Josh Fulfer, a 46-year-old father and conservative online influencer who lives near the stadium, said he was a Bullhorn protester. He said Hernandez shouldn’t have competed regardless of how she placed it.
“I stand in the truth,” he said. “Men should not pretend to be women and should not compete with female athletes.”
Lauren Webster, a senior at Wilson High School in Long Beach who defeated Hernandez in a long jump, told Hernandez he didn’t think much about it. Instead, she focused on her performance.
“It wasn’t the other person I was worried about. I knew I could,” Webster said. “You can’t control what you can’t control.”
The child holds a sign of protest at the Veterans Memorial Stadium at Buchanan High School in Clovis along with family and others opposed to transgender athlete AB Hernandez competing at the 2025 CIF State Athletics Championships.
(Tomas Ovalle / for the Times)
The emphasis on Hernandez in the two-day competition on Friday and Saturday reflects a significant increase in conservative anger towards trans girls competing at sporting events around the country, despite representing a small number of competitors. It also reflects the coordinated efforts of Trump and other prominent conservative figures, and has individually selected Hernandez as the child of an unconscious poster for such concerns.
Recent polls, including those conducted by the Times last year, show that many Americans support trans rights, but the majority are opposed to transgender girls taking part in youth sports. California has long defended the right to participate in transgender children and youth athletics, but other states are increasingly moving to limit or remove such rights entirely.
Marci Strange supports protesters as he protests against transgender athlete AB Hernandez competing at the 2025 CIF State Athletics Championships at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Buchanan High School campus in Clovis.
(Tomas Ovalle / for the Times)
Trump was initially eager to transgender issues during the presidential election, spending millions of dollars on anti-transgender political ads. Since being elected, he has issued waves of executive orders and other policies aimed at reducing transgender rights and protections.
Again and again, Hernandez was chosen for that discussion.
Earlier this week, Trump mentioned Hernandez in a social media post, saying his administration is lined up more broadly with an executive order aimed at cutting federal funding to California and banning transgender youth from participating in school sports across the country if they don’t prevent her from competing in the state final this weekend.
The next day, US Department of Justice officials again mentioned Hernandez and released an investigation into whether California, its intergroup sports federation, and the Yurupa Unified School District violated the civil rights of cisgender girls by allowing transgender students such as Hernandez to compete in sports.
Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed for Julpa Valley High School in a high jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
(Tomas Ovalle / for the Times)
At Friday and Saturday competitions, Hernandez often mixed with hundreds of other athletes, attracting little attention. She was far less noticeable than the protesters there to condemn her for the competition.
Hernandez’s mother has recently begged Trump and other adults to show her daughter’s compassion, calling it “every time I see my child being attacked, not because of cheating, but simply whenever I see who they are.”
She says her daughter is “not a threat,” but the harassment directed at her is “not cruel, it’s dangerous.”
Local protesters – those with ties to national conservative organisations are competing on fiercely different conditions at girls’ events.
Before being escorted by police, Sofia Raleigh, the conservative California Family Council outreach director, walked around the stadium on Saturday wearing a hat that read “women’s sports, women’s only.” She told members of the crowd that Hernandez was a boy and handed out pink “girls sports” bracelets and flyers.
Trump administration officials have taken the same stance.
On Wednesday, in a letter from the governing federal director with assistant Atiasistai Ronald W. Nosetti. Hearnandet Dillon, appointed by Trump to lead the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, was called Hernandez’s success at the recent track and field event, “Alarming.” And she said the California policy that allows Hernandez to compete was a potential violation of the 1972 Federal Civil Rights Act, which prohibits education programs and other activities that receive federal funds.
Dillon also said Gov. Gavin Newsom was his latest comment on conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
Transgender athlete AB Hernandez took part in three events, including high jump, triple jump and long jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships held at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
(Tomas Ovalle / for the Times)
The statement came in a conversation on the Newsom’s Podcast in March.
Kirk, co-founder of conservative organization Turning Point USA, asked Newsmom if he would express his opposition to Hernandez, competing at a girls’ track and field event. Newsom agreed that such a situation was “unfair,” but also said it had problems with “the way people talk to vulnerable communities,” including transgender people.
When Kirk says that Newsom can say that she “takes her to heart” Hernandez, but still thinks her competition is unfair, Newsom says she agrees again.
Newsom has not issued any such statements. However, since Trump began talking about Hernandez, the arena has changed in California for trans athletes.
On Wednesday, the CIF announced changes to the rules for this weekend’s championship. Under the new rules, the cisgender girl who bumps into the event finals by trans athletes advances to compete in the finals. Additionally, Union said that a cisgender girl who was beaten by a transgender competitor would be awarded either medal she would have claimed if the transgender athlete was not competing.
Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed for Julpa Valley High School in a high jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
(Tomas Ovalle / for the Times)
CIF didn’t mention her name when announcing Hernandez’s policy changes, but directly mentioned high jumps, triple jumps and long jumps, that is, three events she competes for.
Under the new rules, Hernandez shared her position with other girls on the podium of each event.
The CIF did not respond to a list of questions about the new policy. A Newsom spokesman praised the change, but others were not impressed.
Critics of trans athletes rejected it as inadequate and called for a complete ban on trans athletes. Fulfer, a Bullhorn protester, said the CIF “confirms that they’ve been wrong for a long time.”
“I hope Donald Trump sees what happens this weekend and he will pull out the funds from California,” Fulfer said.
LGBTQ+ supporters have also criticised the rules change, but for a variety of reasons it is called a terrible surrender that has picked up teens to appease the crowds of people who choose to fight politically.
“The fact that even after the CIF changes its policy, these same political players continue to bully and harass one child shows that this is not about sports or equity,” says Kristi Hirst, co-founder of our school, co-founder of public education advocacy groups.
“It was simply using children. It was violating personal safety on a national scale, earning political points and distracting families and communities in this country from what they actually worry about,” Hurst said.
Transgender athlete AB Hernandez competed at Julpa Valley High School in a long jump at the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships at Buchanan High School in Clovis.
(Tomas Ovalle / for the Times)
Nereyda Hernandez said he hopes that AB’s victory will serve as an inspiration for other children who feel “invisible.”
“For all young people who see, especially those who are invisible or unprecedented, please remind us that AB shines brighter than hatred,” she said. “It’s not easy, but it’s definitely worth it.”
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