At the heart of Veteran’s Memorial Stadium on Saturday, 16-year-old AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School stood among her peers, a California track and field champion. Her presence on the podium, however, was framed by a national debate that sought to define her by her transgender identity, rather than her athletic prowess.
In the past week, Hernandez became a focal point of fierce adult-driven arguments after President Donald Trump’s suggestion of withholding federal funding from California due to its rules, in place since 2013, allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports. Despite these external pressures, Hernandez had legitimately earned her place at the state championships.
While social media and roadside protests at the California Interscholastic Federation’s (CIF) State Championships attempted to portray Hernandez as an outsider, claiming her participation victimized her competitors, the reality on the field told a different story.
Brooke White, a senior from River City-West Sacramento, exemplifies this stark contrast. White, who shared the second-place long jump podium with Hernandez, proudly displayed her runner-up medal alongside her fellow athlete. In a moment of unity, defying the divisive rhetoric, White and Hernandez posed for photos with arms around each other, their shared joy evident.
“Sharing the podium was nothing but an honor,” White shared with the Chronicle. “Although the publicity she’s been receiving has been pretty negative, I believe she deserves publicity because she’s a superstar, she’s a rock star, she’s representing who she is.”
Hernandez demonstrated her exceptional talent by tying for second in the long jump (20 feet, 8¾ inches), tying for first in the high jump (5-7), and tying for first in the triple jump (42-2¾). Notably, she shared the podium with at least one peer in all three events. Any initial heckling from the stands quickly faded as the focus shifted to the athletes’ achievements, and roadside protesters dispersed, allowing the true spirit of competition and camaraderie to prevail.
Throughout the two-day event, while adults debated Hernandez’s right to compete, her fellow athletes embraced her. Brooke White, who met Hernandez for the first time on Friday, described them giggling like fast friends by Saturday.
“As a part of the queer community, I want AB Hernandez to know that we all have her back,” White affirmed, acknowledging the emotional toll of the public discourse. “It’s emotional, it gets people heated from all sides of the argument. But when I got here and I talked to AB Hernandez … I learned to knock out all of the negativity. The negativity: It affects us, too.”
Outside the stadium, a small group of protesters, including local activist Josh Fulfer, continued to vocalize their opposition, echoing sentiments like “No boys in girls’ sports.” Fulfer, whose car window was shattered by a counter-protester the previous day, suggested that any camaraderie among the athletes was born of fear. However, the athletes’ interactions contradicted this narrative.
Inside the stadium, an initial moment of jeering during Hernandez’s first long jump attempt was quickly quelled by a stern public address announcement. “We need to stop the disrespect of athletes,” the voice boomed. “The only people you are hurting are these athletes on the field. Please show respect to the athletes that are out there, they work hard. You are distracting to all athletes. … We will continue to pause if this behavior continues.” This firm stance ensured the focus remained on the competition.
Jillene Wetteland, a senior at Long Beach Poly High School, who shared the first-place high jump podium with Hernandez and Monta Vista-Cupertino junior Lelani Laruelle, expressed, “I love both of the people I tied with.” Similarly, Kira Gant Hatcher, a junior from St. Mary’s-Berkeley, proudly shared her first-place triple jump medal with Hernandez, a repeat of Hernandez’s third-place finish in the same event last year, though this year’s win garnered far more attention due to the surrounding controversy.
“I feel like all of us, we’re always together over there,” Hatcher said of the girls jumpers. “We see the same people at a lot of meets so you form friendships.”
A head coach, who wished to remain anonymous, observed Hernandez’s composure amidst the roadside protests. He recounted seeing her walk by, seemingly unfazed, and silently vowed to encourage her to block out the noise if she returned. “She is just a kid,” he emphasized.
Nereyda, AB Hernandez’s mother, was profoundly moved by the support her daughter received from fellow athletes, families, and coaches, a stark contrast to a previous track meet at Yorba Linda High School where they faced significant hostility.
“There’s just been so much support,” Nereyda shared in an exclusive interview. “I had coaches approach us yesterday, shake my hand. Parents, you know, they just wanted to let me know like, ‘Look, we’re not for that,’ and it felt good. The whole vibe, it did not feel like pressure, like tense, like it did in Yorba Linda.”
Martial Yapo, an assistant coach at Santa Margarita Catholic, echoed this sentiment, recalling his surprise at a CNN segment sensationalizing Hernandez’s participation. He noted that within the meet itself, “Everybody’s supporting the athlete and coaching like normal business. We don’t feel like there’s any animosity in the warm-up area or anything like that. It’s only when you’re out there or you watch TV that you see all the noise.”
