Transgender high school athlete faces protests as opponents forfeit, teammates sit out

AB Hernandez, a transgender student-athlete at Jurupa Valley High School in Riverside County, California, said they would not back down from criticism after several opponents forfeited girls’ volleyball matches this season and two teammates refused to play alongside them.

Hernandez, who competes on the school’s girls’ volleyball and track and field teams, told CBS Los Angeles in a recent interview that the attention has been difficult but that they are “just a normal kid going to school, playing sports.” Several of Jurupa Valley’s scheduled opponents this season declined to play rather than face a team that included an athlete who was assigned male at birth, according to school officials and local reporting.

One of the teams that agreed to play Jurupa Valley was Chaffey High School. Chaffey’s girls’ team completed the match and defeated Jurupa Valley in four sets, according to game reports.

Two Jurupa Valley teammates, seniors Alyssa McPherson and Hadeel Hazameh, told Fox News Digital they would not play or use the locker room while Hernandez remained on the roster. Both sat out a recent game against Chaffey. McPherson said she loved the sport but determined that “this current situation with a biological male on the team is very unsafe and unfair not only for me, but all female athletes.” Hazameh told Fox News Digital she hoped her decision would “encourage” others and said she did not feel comfortable sharing the locker room or the court.

Hernandez competed in the California high school state track and field championships in the spring, and their participation has become a focal point in broader debates over rules for transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports. The issue has prompted policy proposals and legal challenges in multiple states and school districts; proponents and opponents of restrictive rules have cited fairness, safety and inclusion in public discussions.

Local school officials have said they are following state athletic association rules on eligibility. The California Interscholastic Federation’s (CIF) policies govern participation in many of the state’s high school competitions, including track and field. Representatives of Jurupa Valley High School declined to provide additional comment beyond confirming the rosters and recent game results.

Supporters of Hernandez praised the athlete for continuing to participate in school activities amid the backlash. Critics and the two teammates who sat out the match cited competitive balance and privacy concerns about locker room use as motivating factors in their decisions.

The situation at Jurupa Valley adds to a patchwork of approaches nationwide as schools and athletic associations consider how to apply transgender participation policies at the high school level. Advocates for transgender athletes have urged inclusive policies that allow students to compete in accordance with their gender identity, while others have sought limits tied to sex-assigned-at-birth or physiological criteria.

As the high school sports season continues, the Jurupa Valley case is likely to remain in local headlines and to be referenced in wider policy discussions. Hernandez and teammates are expected to continue with scheduled competitions under existing CIF rules unless those rules or team decisions change.

The confrontation at Jurupa Valley underscores tensions that have emerged in high school athletics as schools balance inclusion, competitive equity and student safety. Officials at the district and state levels have not announced changes in response to the recent forfeits and player walkouts, and the immediate season schedule proceeded with teams that agreed to play.