Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the trans community which some readers may find distressing
A transgender athlete who achieved victory in a school track race has responded openly to her critics.
AB Hernandez from California, who identifies as a transgender woman, stood proudly on the podium with her fellow athletes after winning the state’s high school track-and-field championship on May 31.
The 16-year-old, who is part of the team at Jurupa Valley High School in Southern California, secured the gold in the triple jump with a final result of 42 feet 2 inches. She shared the first place position with Kira Grant Hatcher, who achieved a jump of 40 feet 5 inches.
The California Interscholastic Federation had revised the rules prior to the event, stating that competitors who were defeated by a trans athlete would retain their ranking. This meant Hernandez’s performance would not impact the standings of other female winners.
The rule change also allowed for an additional biological female student athlete to participate in each category where Hernandez was competing.
Despite these measures to ensure fairness, Hernandez’s participation has faced opposition over recent months, with numerous protesters showing up at track meets and prior to competitions to contest her involvement.
Now, the high school junior has addressed her detractors with a straightforward message.
“It’s definitely crazy, I get a lot of hate comments, but I’m like, ‘I don’t care,’” she expressed in an interview with KCRA. “[I’m a] 16-year-old girl with a mad attitude. You think I’m going to care?”
The young athlete criticized the protesters attending high school events as simply ‘weird’.
“It’s just weird at this point,” Hernandez remarked, noting that while demonstrators gathered at the stadium entrances to protest, the support from within the event was largely positive.
“I wasn’t expecting any of it, to be honest. I was just expecting to go out there and compete alone, but the support was amazing,” she added.
“They really made my experience perfect. I will forever be grateful for them because they helped me get through the weekend.”
Hernandez also tied in the varsity high jump final against two girls, Jillene Wetteland and Lelanie Laruelle, once again sharing the podium due to the newly implemented California policy.
“I did what I wanted to do,” Hernandez stated. “My performance was all I wanted to be good. So all this backlash … I performed my best, so that’s all I cared about.”
The protests occurred following significant backlash over the federation’s approach to transgender athletes like Hernandez and their achievements, including from President Donald Trump who had threatened to cut off funding to California over its policy.
Using his platform Truth Social, Trump wrote: “California, under the leadership of Radical Left Democrat Gavin Newscum [sic], continues to ILLEGALLY allow ‘MEN TO PLAY IN WOMEN’S SPORTS.'”
The President warned that federal funding would be ‘held back, maybe permanently’ unless California complied with his February executive order to protect women’s sports.
Trump also engaged in a heated debate with Maine governor Janet Mills on the topic earlier this year, accusing the state of violating Title IX rules, which prohibit discrimination in education based on sex.
He threatened to revoke federal funds for schools amounting to approximately $250 million, though the White House subsequently agreed to release the funds following a legal challenge.
The Justice Department also announced plans last month to investigate whether California’s School Success and Opportunity Act, permitting trans students to compete in women’s sports, conflicts with Title IX.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT national hotline at 888-843-4564, available Monday to Friday 4pm-12am ET and 12pm-5pm ET on Saturdays.