Transgender volleyball player AB Hernandez faced protests outside Jurupa Valley High School and was scheduled to play Riverside Poly High School on 15 August. Riverside Poly forfeited the match rather than compete, issuing a statement about providing a safe, positive environment for all student-athletes. Parents told Fox Digital that the forfeit stemmed from Hernandez's inclusion, while players did not make the decision. Amanda Vickers, a Riverside Unified School District board member, emphasized distinctions between biological girls and boys and referenced a 2022 incident involving Payton McNabb. Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda, challenged board members at a meeting, accusing external actors of spreading fear and using religion to justify discrimination.
Amanda Vickers, a member of the Riverside Unified School District board, said: "There is a difference between biological girls and biological boys. And, tonight, the girls of Riverside Polly High School [are] not going to end up like Payton McNabb." Vickers' comment refers to a 2022 incident in which former high school volleyball player McNabb was struck in the head by a ball returned by a trans opponent, which she claims left her with permanent brain damage.
"You are a board member. You have an oath to protect, to support all children, not just the ones that fit your ideas, your beliefs," Nereyda said. "My daughter is not the problem. The problem is co-ordinated external efforts often led by individuals [who] travel from district to district... to spread fear and put parents against each other, using religion as a shield for discrimination. "This has nothing to do with fairness in sport and everything to do with erasing transgende
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