“They try to use intimidation tactics to push people to quit, but I’m not scared of them”
BY VEE WILSON, IMAGE BY GETTY
The 16-year-old transgender track and field athlete AB Hernandez from Jurupa Valley, California, recently won gold in the girls’ triple jump and high jump, as well as silver in the girls’ long jump, at state finals. Her victory has made her the focal point of national debate, and President Trump was quick to condemn Hernandez’s participation on social media.
Her involvement was “not fair, and totally demeaning to women and girls,” according to Trump, who then made threats to take legal action and cut funding for California schools. He added that he was “ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow” Hernandez to participate.
The Trump administration, backed by the Department of Justice, has begun investigating the state’s trans-inclusive sports policies, raising the prospect of large-scale fines. The threats have prompted a response from the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), who regulate high-school sports. The nonprofit announced new rules following Trump’s response: in the events that Hernandez competes in, cisgender athletes who finish directly behind trans athletes can now also advance and share medals, which effectively creates co-champions.
While Hernandez is under increasing political pressure and is facing escalating harassment, she remains undeterred. “They try to use intimidation tactics to push people to quit, but I’m not scared of them. They bark, but we bite,” she told The Guardian. Hernandez said that she was grateful for the girls she tied with, and she told them: “You made my experience perfect, I couldn’t have done it without you”.
Nereyda, Hernandez’s mother, has also expressed support for her daughter, despite having backed Trump in the past. Being open to learning and accepting is the best thing she could have done, she says: “I cannot imagine what this child would have went through if I was close-minded and unsupportive”.
California’s progressive stance contrasts harshly with the restrictive measures in at least 26 other states banning trans girls from girls’ sports. As threats of legal action loom, the battle over the rights of transgender athletes continues to play out nationally.
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