The widely-discussed California transgender athlete, AB Hernandez, is once again in the spotlight. This time, he’s responding to critics questioning his participation on girls’ sports teams, questioning why a male athlete is competing in girls’ volleyball or dominating in track and field contests. Some suspect he’s leveraging societal trends for competitive advantage rather than experiencing genuine gender dysphoria.
Here’s what he has to say. Let’s take it apart, piece by piece, shall we?
Hernandez, a transgender high school athlete from California, takes part in girls’ volleyball and track and field teams and defends his presence despite criticism for competing in female-only divisions.
This season, several of Jurupa Valley’s competitors have chosen to forfeit games rather than compete against a team featuring a biological male athlete. Chaffey High School decided to face Jurupa Valley and ultimately lost in four sets.
Hernandez had no interest in giving in to criticism.
He has no interest in defending himself against criticism, because what he’s doing is indefensible. What he’s doing is cheating. Because he’s a boy.
“They claim I’m some kind of huge threat to society,” Hernandez told CBS Los Angeles during an interview. “I’m just a regular student attending school and playing sports.”
However, the assertion remains that he’s not just any typical student. Critics argue he’s impersonating a girl and demanding an unfair position in girls’ sports. His success in track and field events has been viewed as unearned, as some regard his participation as a form of cheating, given his biological sex.
Hernandez’s involvement in girls’ sports has sparked debate about maintaining fairness in women’s and girls’ athletics. Earlier this year, he competed in the California high school state championships and secured victories in several events. In response, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) modified its regulations to permit a girl to share the podium with Hernandez.
Women’s and girls’ sports aren’t fair if they let men and boys compete. And the CIF shouldn’t have altered any rules; they shouldn’t have allowed this boy to compete against girls, then there wouldn’t have been any issue as to who was on the podium. AB Hernandez was on that podium because he cheated. Because he’s a boy.
