Mom of trans child speaks out after girls’ volleyball team forfeited and refused to play against her
Warning: This article contains discussion of discrimination against the trans community which some readers may find distressing
The mom of a transgender athlete has blasted California school officials for ‘entertaining and welcoming harassment’ against her child after an opposing institution refused to play a volleyball game against her.
AB Hernandez, who stars for the Jurupa Valley High School volleyball team, was due to face off against the Riverside Poly High School girls’ squad last Friday (August 15).
However, the match never went ahead, and an official statement was later issued by Riverside Poly, stating: “We understand this is disappointing for our athletes, families and supporters, and we appreciate the community’s understanding.
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“We remain committed to providing a safe, positive environment for all student-athletes throughout the season.”
Multiple parents later told Fox Digital that the game was thrown due to the inclusion of Hernandez, a transgender athlete, on the roster, and that the players themselves did not make the decision.
Amanda Vickers, a member of the Riverside Unified School District board, informed the outlet: “Tonight, the girls of Riverside Polly High School, they're not going to end up like Payton McNabb.”
Vickers referred to a former high school volleyball player who suffered permanent brain damage after being struck in the head with a spike from a trans athlete in 2022.
AB Hernandez’s mother makes impassioned statement
It’s understood that after the forfeited game and Vickers’ statements, local parents attended a meeting with the Riverside Unified School District board on Thursday (August 21).
Some reportedly defended their children for forfeiting the match, whilst speaking out against the school district for its current gender politics, the New York Post reported.
Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda, was also at the meeting. She told attendees that she believed her daughter was ‘not the problem’.
She also took aim at Vickers’ statement, claiming she’d ‘entertained and welcomed harassment’ toward her child by speaking to Fox News Digital.
“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,” she continued.
“My daughter is not the problem. The problem is coordinated external efforts often led by individuals that 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 sports and everything to do with erasing transgender children,” she added.
AB Hernandez has previously made national headlines
Riverside Poly's boycott of Hernandez and the Jurupa Valley High School girls' volleyball team follows an earlier incident where Hernandez was repeatedly heckled at a track meet.
According to Capital and Main, 30 adults, including three local school board members, continually yelled at the teenager while she competed at Yorba Linda High School in May.
At one point, the noise allegedly caused a false start in a race.
Speaking about her experience, Hernandez told the publication: “There’s nothing I can do about people’s actions, just focus on my own.
“I’m still a child, you’re an adult, and for you to act like a child shows how you are as a person.”
As per the New York Post, postseason meets Hernandez competed in have been attended by female athletes and their families protesting her inclusion.
These protestors often wore ‘Save Girls Sports’ T-shirts, which have allegedly been compared to swastikas by school officials, as per a lawsuit.
Donald Trump sends reminder to California schools
US President Donald Trump, 79, made a slight reference to the recent California-based controversy in a post shared to his social media site, Truth Social.
On Thursday, he wrote: “Any California school district that doesn’t adhere to our Transgender policies, will not be funded. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
His threat is the latest in his fight against transgender rights, having sued the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) in July over its policy to allow transgender athletes to compete in girls’ school sports.
The Trump administration alleged the policy was a violation of federal anti-discrimination laws, as per NBC News.
The lawsuit came despite the businessman signing a directive in February to remove federal funding from any school that allows transgender women or girls to compete in female sports.
“It is the policy of the United States to rescind all funds from educational programs that deprive women and girls of fair athletic opportunities, which results in the endangerment, humiliation, and silencing of women and girls and deprives them of privacy,” the legislation read.
“It shall also be the policy of the United States to oppose male competitive participation in women’s sports more broadly, as a matter of safety, fairness, dignity, and truth.”
In signing the order, Trump claimed ‘the war on women’s sports is over’.
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.
Topics: California, Donald Trump, Education, School, Sport, Transgender, US News
Ella Scott