Three Southern California high schools have banded together in what a California attorney called a “stand” opposing transgender athletes competing in girls sports.
“JSerra Catholic High School, Orange Lutheran High School, and Crean Lutheran High School took a stand today. Thank you,” California Justice Center attorney Julie Hamill’s May 9 post says on Twitter/X.
Attached to the post is a three-page letter from the Orange County schools, signed by each school’s president and/or executive director, stating “… disappointment in CIF’s failure to respect and protect our female athletes and our strong opposition to CIF’s Gender Identity Policy.”
The letter focused on the CIF Southern Section track and field prelims on May 10.
“As a school, we are working our way through a significant issue deeply intertwined with a fundamental aspect of our mission. Tomorrow four of our female student-athletes will be competing in the CIF Track & Field State Prelims,” a letter from JSerra to its parents says. “Unfortunately, in three of these events our young women will be competing against a young man (who identifies as a female). He will likely dominate the competition and handily win all three events. To be clear, we hold no malice toward this particular student. We do feel compelled, however, to take a stand for the right, duties and dignity of our young women.”
The transgender athlete is junior AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High.
According to Athletic.net, Hernandez is the state leader in the girls triple jump (41 feet, 4 inches) and long jump (20 feet, 1.5 inches).
Rancho Cucamonga’s Lindsey Varner has California’s second-best mark in the triple jump (40-10), while Loren Webster of Long Beach Wilson has the second-best mark in the long jump (19-10).
Hernandez won the River Valley League championships in the triple, long and high jump. Hernandez won the triple jump by nearly seven feet, the long jump by more than three feet, and the high jump by a foot.
Hernandez qualified for the May 17 CIF Southern Section Division 3 track and field finals after finishing first in the triple jump (40-2), third in the long jump (19-2) and eighth in the high jump (5-2) in the prelims at Yorba Linda High School on May 10.
The “stand” from the three schools made it sound like their student-athletes weren’t going to compete in protest, but the letter never explicitly states that. Their athletes did end up competing.
Crean Lutheran’s Olivia Viola and Reese Hogan both qualified for the CIF finals in the high jump, with both jumping the qualifying height of 5 feet, 2 inches.
Orange Lutheran’s Brooke Dahman qualified in the long jump with a fifth-place finish (17-7). Hogan also qualified in the triple jump (35-0).
Following the CIF sectional track and field finals on May 17 is the CIF Masters Meet on May 24 before the CIF state championships in Fresno on May 30-31.
WHERE CIF STANDS ON THE ISSUE
The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body of education-based athletics in California.
When President Donald Trump took office in January, he signed executive orders declaring that the U.S. government recognizes only two sexes that are “not changeable,” according to a report from the Los Angeles Times.
In February, the U.S. Department of Education announced the opening of a Title IX investigation into the CIF for its policy allowing transgender high school athletes to play girls sports. It did the same in Minnesota.
The CIF issued the following statement regarding transgender athletes:
“The CIF provides students with the opportunity to belong, connect, and compete in education-based experiences in compliance with California law [Education Code section 221.5. (f)] which permits students to participate in school programs and activities, including athletic teams and competitions, consistent with the student’s gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the student’s records,” the statement to The Times said.
NOT A NEW STORY
In the past calendar year, there have been two sizable stories related to a transgender athlete competing in girls high school athletics.
In May of 2023, track runners Lorelei Barrett of Sherman Oaks Buckley and Athena Ryan of Santa Rosa Sonoma Academy — two transgender student-athletes — finished third and second in their respective running events to qualify for the CIF state finals.
However, leading up the finals, the two athletes faced backlash and decided to not compete in the CIF state finals.