AB Hernandez, a high school athlete, faces repeated backlash for competing in female categories. Her mother, Nereyda Hernandez, says the conflict is about erasing transgender children rather than fairness in sport. Protests have been organized against California policies that allow trans athletes to compete in categories aligned with their gender identity. Nereyda links the renewed pressure to midterm election politics and says AB is not doing anything wrong. California Interscholastic Federation policies permit trans women to compete in women’s sports in line with state non-discrimination laws. Critics claim trans girls steal wins, but the policy approach awards medals and advancement to the next eligible athlete if a trans athlete qualifies. AB has shared first-place podiums twice under this system and is scheduled to compete at Southern Section finals on 16 May.
"“My daughter is not the problem ... This has nothing to do with fairness in sport and everything to do with erasing transgender children.”"
"“I told AB, this is a [midterm] election year. They're gonna hit us hard, because they're using us for their campaigns.”"
"“On top of that, trans girls do not ‘steal’ wins from cisgender girls, as many critics complain. Instead, if a trans athlete receives a medal or qualifies for a higher round, the next in line athlete does too.”"
"“It's just the outsiders. They're infiltrating, pretending they're parents or they know people, but I'm the mom. I know who they are.”"
#transgender-athletes #high-school-sports #california-cif-policies #sports-protests #gender-identity-and-competition
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