A story out of California is making waves online: Eight high school girls’ volleyball teams have now forfeited games instead of playing against Jurupa Valley High School. The reason? Jurupa Valley’s team includes a transgender athlete named AB Hernandez. Some are calling this a stand for fairness in girls’ sports. Others say it’s discrimination. So, what’s really going on?
Let’s break it down.
AB Hernandez is a transgender girl. That means Hernandez was born male but identifies and lives as female. She plays on the girls’ volleyball team at Jurupa Valley High School in Riverside County, California. Hernandez had already gained attention earlier this year for competing—and winning—in girls’ track and field.
Now, the spotlight is back on her, but this time for a different reason. One by one, opposing teams have decided not to play against Jurupa Valley. To date, eight schools have chosen to forfeit their matches. This includes Patriot High School, which was the first school in the same league to walk away from a scheduled game. The other teams—like Aquinas High School, San Dimas, Yucaipa, and more—made their decisions during tournaments or other matchups earlier in the season.
Some parents, coaches, and players say they believe it’s not fair for a biological male to play in girls’ sports, especially in a physically demanding sport like volleyball. They argue that boys, even after transitioning, can still have advantages in height, strength, and speed. Those who support these forfeits say they’re trying to protect opportunities and safety for girls.
One of the loudest voices is Jennifer Sey, a former Levi’s executive and founder of an organization called XX-XY Athletics. In a post online, she wrote that Hernandez “has now taken the place of a girl on his school’s volleyball team” and that “the forfeits continue” because “people are tired of this—even in California.”
On the other side, Hernandez and her supporters say she trains just as hard—if not harder—than her teammates. Speaking to The Guardian, Hernandez said, “I probably do 10 times more than any athlete at my school. They see that, and the media doesn’t.” She also said she feels supported by her school and her teammates.
Only two teams have decided to actually compete against Jurupa Valley. Hernandez’s mother expressed gratitude toward those teams, saying their support has helped her daughter through difficult times. “Those girls mean a lot,” she told KCAL News.
But the controversy doesn’t stop on the court.
A lawsuit has been filed by three current and former teammates of Hernandez. They claim they were uncomfortable sharing a locker room with Hernandez and say the school district, the CIF (California Interscholastic Federation), and the state Department of Education didn’t do enough to protect their privacy. This case is still ongoing.
The bigger picture here is the national debate over transgender athletes in sports. Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has taken a strong stance. He signed an executive order banning transgender females from competing in girls’ and women’s sports at the federal level. But California, a deep-blue state, has pushed back. State officials have promised to protect transgender students and allow them to compete in sports aligned with their gender identity.
That clash between state and federal policy is where stories like this take root.
Online, the debate is fierce. Some users have praised the teams that forfeited, calling them brave for standing up for girls. Others argue that Hernandez has every right to play sports like any other student. One TikTok user said, “Imagine getting protested by the world for doing something you love and being unapologetically yourself.”
No matter what side someone is on, it’s clear this story strikes a chord. It’s about fairness. It’s about identity. And it’s about who gets to decide the rules in school sports.
As more states follow President Trump’s lead, and as places like California continue to resist, this issue is unlikely to go away anytime soon. For now, the girls at Jurupa Valley and other schools are caught in the middle of a national fight that’s far bigger than any volleyball game.