The stadium in Clovis, a city in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, is dressed for the occasion.
Huge banners welcome athletes from across the state, food stalls line the concourse and teenagers sell event programs.
“Good luck to all the athletes and their coaches,” the inside of the program reads. Many of the athletes have trained for years and, for some, receiving lucrative university scholarships rests on their performance here.
But one issue, one competitor, is dominating the chatter. “Which one is she?” A group of boys asking.They’re talking about AB Hernandez, a 16-year-old transgender girl, who is now the focus of a legal, political and cultural row.
She was born a boy but has transitioned and now competes against the girls.
Hernandez is favorite to win the long jump and the triple jump and is also competing in the high jump. She led in all three events after preliminary rounds on Friday.
Her inclusion in the girls category has become a national conversation.
Transgender inclusion is a thorny issue but a vote winner for President Trump, who campaigned with a promise to “kick out men from women’s sports.”
I have signed an executive order seeking to ban transgender women from female sport. Trump is now threatening to withdraw federal funding from California over Hernandez’s participation in this athletics event.
In a social media post, he wrote: “As a Male, he was a less than average competitor. As a Female, this transitioned person is practically unbeatable.”
‘No special advantage’
Transgender rights activists attended the event to support Hernandez, cheering her efforts in the high jump. Jessica Schultz is a representative of the party for socialism and liberation, a communist political group.
“All girls deserve to play in girls’ sports and trans girls are girls,” she says.
“So they don’t have any extra extreme advantage than someone who is naturally tall or has naturally wide wingspan like Michael Phelps.
“I’m surprised that the president has time to concern himself with a high school athletic competition,” she adds, “but it is not surprising because he has a lot of hateful ideals.”
Earlier in the week, Trump had said on social media that he was “ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow” Hernandez to compete, wrongly alleging she had won “everything” in a prior meeting and calling her “practically unbeatable.” Protesters gathered outside the meet both Friday and Saturday to denounce her inclusion and the LGBTQ+-friendly state laws allowing it.
Despite all that, Hernandez appeared calm and focused as she competed. When her name was announced for the long jump, she waved to the crowd. When she was announced for the high jump, she smiled.
Hernandez beat out all other competitors in the triple jump, although the runner-up was also awarded 1st place under new rules established by the California Interscholastic Federation after Trump issued his threats.
In response to the backlash about Hernandez’s participation, California is now allowing more cisgender girls to compete here.
They may also award two winners if Hernandez finishes first.
