A high school girls’ volleyball team in California is navigating a season marked by both success on the court and controversy off it. The Jurupa Valley High School team has achieved an impressive 6-0 record in league play, placing them at the top of their division. Their overall record stands at 14-8.
However, a significant portion of their victories, eight in total, have come from forfeits. These forfeits are believed to be related to the presence of a transgender athlete, AB Hernandez, on the Jurupa Valley team. While the forfeiting teams haven’t officially stated their reasons, the timing suggests a connection to Hernandez’s participation.
Adding to the complexity, two of Hernandez’s teammates have left the team in protest. They have also filed a lawsuit against the Jurupa Unified School District, raising concerns about their experiences playing alongside Hernandez over the past three years.
The situation highlights the ongoing debate surrounding transgender athletes in sports. Last year, a similar situation occurred when Stone Ridge Christian High School forfeited a playoff match against San Francisco Waldorf, citing the presence of a transgender player on the Waldorf team as the reason.
California’s governing bodies for high school sports, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), and the California Department of Education (CDE), state that they follow existing state law. This law, passed in 2013, allows transgender students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity, aligning California with many other states.
However, the CIF and CDE are facing a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), which challenges the policies that allow biological males to compete in girls’ sports.
Earlier this year, the California state Legislature considered two bills that would have reversed the current law, but both failed to pass. The debates surrounding these bills were passionate, reflecting the deep divisions on the issue.
The Jurupa Valley High School volleyball team’s season unfolds against this backdrop of legal challenges, policy debates, and varied opinions on transgender athletes’ participation in sports. The team has five games remaining in the regular season before the start of the playoffs.
