Transgender athlete AB Hernandez continued to be the center of debate at the California high school track and field championship, winning a medal in the girls' long jump event amidst hundreds of protesters gathered outside Buchanan High School stadium in Clovis.
Hernandez, a senior from Jurupa Valley High School, advanced to the finals in the long jump, high jump, and triple jump events after topping the qualifiers in the first two.
Outside the competition area, many parents and advocacy groups wore shirts and carried banners with “Save Girls Sports,” protesting male-born athletes competing in female categories. Some banners read: “No boys. No bias. Just fairness.”
Tension escalated as protest groups verbally confronted LGBTQ+ supporters who were holding a press conference for Hernandez. Clovis police were dispatched to the scene to monitor the situation. The incident did not result in physical violence.
In the girls' long jump event, Hernandez achieved 20 feet 2 1/4 inches and placed third. Two athletes, Ellie McCuskey-Hay of St. Ignatius High School and Gianna Gonzalez of Moorpark High School, tied for first place with a performance of 20 feet 3 1/2 inches.
According to the policy of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), if a transgender athlete places in post-season events, the biologically female athlete with the next highest performance will be elevated to share the same ranking. Thus, Corinne Jones of St. Mary's High School, despite finishing fourth, was awarded a shared third place with Hernandez.
The debate surrounding Hernandez has spanned several weeks after this athlete consistently won regional and state competitions in girls' jumping events. Some competitors at the medal ceremony reportedly kept their distance or did not stand on the podium with Hernandez.
