Former President Donald Trump lashed out early Tuesday after a transgender athlete took victory in a California high school track-and-field meet, vowing to impose "large-scale fines" on the state if it continues to allow transgender athletes to compete.
Jurupa Valley High School junior AB Hernandez, a trans girl, recently shared first place in the high jump and triple jump, and took second place in the long jump, at the state meet. This sparked outrage from Trump, who had previously threatened to withhold federal funding from California if Hernandez was allowed to compete.
The California Interscholastic Federation, the state's high school sports governing body, implemented a last-minute "compromise" rule that allowed Hernandez to share her victories with the second-place finishers.
But Trump was far from satisfied, raging on his Truth Social platform that a "Biological Male competed in California Girls State Finals, WINNING BIG, despite the fact that they were warned by me not to do so."
Trump went on to claim that California Governor Gavin Newsom was "ILLEGALLY" allowing "MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN'S SPORTS" based on a February executive order the former president had issued prohibiting transgender women and girls from competing in women's sports. However, the order appears to lack any actual legal authority over high school athletics.
Despite the political furor, Hernandez's mother, Nereyda, said the other competitors have always shown her daughter respect, and that the harassment came from adults, "some even in positions of power, who should be protectors of our youth." After the meet, Hernandez and her co-silver medalist were seen joking around, exchanging high-fives, and smiling for photos together on the podium.
The clash between state and federal policies on transgender athletes in sports continues to be a flashpoint of the culture war, with Trump and his allies seeking to score political points by demonizing transgender youth. But Hernandez's positive experience with her fellow athletes suggests that, at the end of the day, sportsmanship and respect can triumph over the divisive rhetoric of politicians.
