A transgender athlete in California took home gold in the girls’ high jump and triple jump in the Golden State’s high school track and field championship over the weekend of May 30. The event drew criticism from the White House and has reignited a debate over transgender athletes’ participation in sporting events, especially for women.
New rules
AB Hernandez won two gold medals under a recently announced landmark rule change ahead of the championship event, following backlash from President Donald Trump over Hernandez’s participation in girls’ track and field events. As Straight Arrow News reported during the week of May 25, under the new rules, multiple first-place winners are now allowed. The new policy means that if a transgender athlete places ahead of a biological female in a girls’ event, the biological female can also be awarded a gold medal, which is what happened on Saturday, May 31.
The competition and controversy
Hernandez won gold after clearing the high jump with a mark of 5 feet 7 inches without a single failed attempt. Jillene Wetteland and Lelani Laruelle also cleared that mark, but both failed one attempt. Because they are designated as biological females, they shared the first-place podium with Hernandez.
Hernandez also won first place in the triple jump and shared the podium with Kira Grant Hatcher, who trailed Hernandez by more than half a meter. Hernandez finished second in the long jump.
Trump criticized California last week after Hernandez advanced to the state championship by winning first place over a female athlete at a regional track meet. Under previous rules, the runner-up would not have qualified for the state championship. The president warned that he would withhold federal dollars from California unless a change were made.
Policy change
Shortly after Trump’s threat, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) announced a rule change called a “pilot entry process.” In a statement on X, the CIF said it would allow “biological female athletes who would have earned a qualifying spot for state” to move on to the championship.
At the conclusion of the CIF Section’s Track and Field qualifying meets this past weekend, the CIF made the decision to pilot an entry process for the upcoming 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships. Please see the following statement: pic.twitter.com/qOjWl6eybR
— CIF State (@CIFState) May 27, 2025
California Gov. Gavin Newsom, D, acknowledged the new policy, which allows a shared scoring outcome when a transgender athlete places ahead of a biological female.
“CIF’s proposal is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness,” said Izzy Gardon, a spokesperson for Newsom. “The governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach.”
Newsom’s stance
Republican lawmakers accused Newsom, who recently called it “deeply unfair” that transgender athletes get to compete in girls’ sports during a podcast with conservative commentator Charlie Kirk, of failing to take a clear position with his latest statement. Newsom noted earlier this year that a 2014 California law allowing transgender athletes in high school girls’ events was enacted before he became governor.
It’s unknown whether the CIF’s new policy will lead Trump to walk back his threat to withhold federal funding for California. In May, the Trump administration rescinded a funding freeze in a settlement with Maine over the state’s Department of Education policy allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports. However, the legal battle is still playing out in court.
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A California Interscholastic Federation rule change could allow biological females to qualify for state championships if they would have qualified but were beaten by a trans female athlete.
Opposition to Hernandez’s participation and other notable cases
Critics of transgender athletes’ participation in girls’ sports showed up at the California state track meet over the weekend. Some wore shirts with the phrase “Save Girls’ Sports,” and a plane flew over the event with a banner reading: “No Boys in Girls’ Sports.” A pair of groups opposed to transgender athletes in female sports, the Independent Council on Women’s Sports and Women Are Real, said they were behind the banner.
These events are unfolding alongside controversy in Minnesota. A transgender pitcher in the state has led a high school girls’ softball team with a dominant playoff performance. Champlin Park High School beat defending state champion Rogers High School 1-0 on Thursday, May 30, behind its transgender pitcher’s 14 shutout innings. The athlete, whose identity was not disclosed under state privacy rules, lowered their earned run average (ERA) to 0.88, according to Fox News Digital.
Three players in the game against the pitcher, but who wished to remain anonymous, filed a lawsuit against the state late last month for allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports. The lawsuit was brought by the Alliance for Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative legal advocacy group.
Critics of Minnesota’s rules said they are against “true equality in sports” by “sacrificing protections for female athletes.”
Minnesota’s response
Minnesota’s Attorney General Keith Ellison, who is named as a defendant in the lawsuit, defended the state’s policy. He argued that banning transgender athletes from girls’ sports “singles out one group of students who already face higher levels of bullying and harassment, and tells kids they cannot be on a team because of who they are.” He vowed to “continue to defend the rights of all students to play sports with their friends and peers.”
Ellison has also filed a separate lawsuit against the Trump administration to protect transgender athletes’ right to compete in girls’ and women’s sports. The move comes after the president signed the “Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports” executive order. The Minnesota State High School League has promised to fight the law and has continued allowing transgender athletes in female sports despite the federal order.
