A high school track meet in Southern California has become a new focal point in the ongoing dispute between the state and President Donald Trump’s administration regarding transgender athletes competing in girls’ sports.
There, multiple girls’ competitors fell shy of first place to a biologically male trans athlete.
During the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section Final held on Saturday, a transgender athlete came in first place in both the triple jump and long jump events.
The second-place finisher in the long jump was Katie McGuinness of La Canada High School.
McGuinness recounted the experience of losing to the trans athlete in an interview on Fox News’ “America Reports.”
“I remember thinking to myself, ‘OK, I need to get a big jump,’” McGuinness said.
“I sprinted down the runway, leapt, and saw them measure my distance; it was 18.9,” she shared. “I remember thinking there was nothing more I could do. That was it. I felt really discouraged. As a high school senior, winning CIF was always a goal of mine, and I couldn’t compete fairly against someone with different genetics.”
McGuinness made her overall stance on the issue clear.
“There are just certain genetic advantages that biological males have that biological girls don’t,” she said. “Frankly, I just can’t stand for that.”
The second-place finisher to the trans athlete in triple jump, Reese Hogan of Crean Lutheran High School, made it a point to stand on the first-place podium spot for a quick and symbolic photo op.
Footage of Hogan taking the top podium spot after the trans athlete stepped off went viral on social media over the weekend.
Hogan had just competed against the trans athlete in the prelims a week earlier.
At that event, Hogan also came in behind the trans athlete in the triple jump, finishing third, and would have placed one spot higher were it not for the trans athlete.
But Hogan did finish ahead of the trans athlete in the high jump.
“It’s just kind of sad just watching. He’s obviously a really talented athlete, we’ve all seen him jump and stuff, and I wish him the best of luck, but in a boys’ division,” Hogan previously told Fox News Digital about competing against the athlete. “It’s pretty obvious the certain advantages that he has, and it’s obviously just sad as a woman to watch that.”
Hogan also spoke at a press conference to protest the trans athlete at the prelims and wore a shirt that read, “Protect Girls Sports.”
“It was nothing against the athlete itself, it was just an issue of fairness,” Hogan previously said. “Nothing that we can do, no amount of training, no amount of hours that we put in, we could never achieve the same amount of advantages that a man can have.”
The CIF track and field postseason has been overshadowed by the controversy involving the trans athlete, garnering national scrutiny against the CIF and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
A U.S. Department of Education spokesperson sent a warning to the state in the days leading up to the CIF Southern Section final, referencing previous reports that CIF officials made competitors remove their Protect Girls Sports shirts.
“CIF’s and Jurupa Valley High School’s apparent flouting of federal civil rights law by allowing a male athlete to compete in a female California track and field [Southern Sectional Division 3 final] this Saturday, and the alleged retaliation against the girls who are protesting this, is indefensible,” Julie Hartman, a Department of Education spokesperson, told Fox News Digital.
The CIF is already under a federal Title IX investigation over the state’s trans-inclusion practices. The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation against CIF in February after President Donald Trump signed the Keeping Men Out of Women’s Sports executive order. The CIF was one of the first high school sports leagues in the country to announce it would defy the order.
Newsom, in a February episode of his podcast, said he believes trans athletes competing in girls’ sports is “deeply unfair” but has not taken any steps as governor to change the state’s policies. The state has had a law in place that allows trans athletes to compete with females since 2014.
“California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who, in a startling moment of moral clarity, recently remarked that it was ‘deeply unfair’ for men to compete in women’s sports,” Hartman continued. “Where is Gov. Newsom now? With or without the governor, the Trump administration’s Department of Education’s commitment is unwavering: We will not allow institutions to trample upon women’s civil rights. OCR’s (Office of Civil Rights) investigation into CIF continues with vigor.”
The trans athlete represents Jurupa Valley High School.
The Jurupa Unified School District provided a statement to Fox News Digital in response to the Department of Education’s statement.
“JUSD continues to follow both California law and CIF policy regarding school athletics. Both state law and CIF policy currently require that students be permitted to participate in athletic teams and competitions consistent with their gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records. JUSD remains committed to protecting the rights and safety of the students we serve, in accordance with applicable state and federal laws,” the statement reads.
