AB Hernandez Enters California State Finals in 3 Events as Protests Return for 2nd Year
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 28
AB Hernandez Enters California State Finals in 3 Events as Protests Return for 2nd Year
5 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 28
California's high school state track finals open Friday in Clovis with AB Hernandez set to compete in the girls' high jump, long jump and triple jump under heightened security and expected protests.
Hernandez reached the meet after winning all 3 events through the postseason, often by large margins, keeping the transgender-athlete dispute at the center of the championships.
The CIF again will bump any female athlete finishing behind Hernandez up one place, a policy that has produced shared podiums this year and drawn criticism from both supporters and opponents.
Clovis officials blamed the CIF and Gov. Gavin Newsom for renewed unrest, citing a poll showing more than 70% of California public school parents favor limiting girls' divisions to biological females.
The finals revive a controversy that erupted last year with dueling protests, venue ejections and 1 arrest, and has since pulled in Trump, Republican lawmakers, Newsom's office and gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer.
How did one California teen's race become the center of a global debate on women's sports?
Is California’s unique podium policy for trans athletes a workable compromise or a failed experiment?
Why are global sports bodies banning trans athletes when new research questions their competitive edge?