On October 22, 2025, the Valencia High School girls’ volleyball team defeated Jurupa Valley High School in straight sets during the first round of the California state playoffs. While this game might have been a routine playoff match in most circumstances, it marked the end of a highly contentious and nationally spotlighted season for Jurupa Valley’s team, primarily due to the involvement of AB Hernandez, a transgender athlete whose participation ignited widespread debate and legal battles throughout the year.
Jurupa Valley’s 2025 volleyball season was anything but ordinary. The team’s schedule was disrupted by the forfeiture of 10 games, a consequence of the controversy surrounding Hernandez. Moreover, two current players and one former teammate filed a lawsuit against the Jurupa Unified School District, citing their experiences sharing locker rooms and competing alongside Hernandez as part of their grievances. The controversy cast a shadow over the team’s performance, but despite the turmoil, Jurupa Valley persevered, ultimately becoming co-champions of the River Valley League and securing a playoff spot against Valencia High School.
The playoff match was far from typical. Reports confirmed that at least one player from Valencia chose not to take the court to avoid facing Hernandez. The game also drew a crowd of activists, including women’s sports advocates and local teenage girls connected to the debate. Sophia Lorey, the California Family Council’s Outreach Director, led a group of “Save Girls’ Sports” protesters who were present in the stands. Some of these protesters had previously competed alongside or against Hernandez in other sports. Lorey shared videos with Fox News Digital that showed heckling directed at the young women attending the game with her, highlighting the emotionally charged atmosphere surrounding the match.
AB Hernandez is no stranger to high-level competition. This volleyball playoff was not Hernandez’s first; she had competed for Jurupa Valley’s volleyball team for three years prior and participated in postseason play in 2024. However, this year’s national attention came after Hernandez made headlines in the spring track and field season. Hernandez qualified for the girls’ state finals in the long jump, triple jump, and high jump events, achieving first place in high jump and triple jump and second place in long jump.
This athletic success brought Hernandez into the center of a fierce political conflict. Former President Donald Trump publicly criticized Hernandez’s participation, issuing a warning through a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, that California should not allow a transgender athlete to compete in girls’ events. Earlier in the year, Trump had signed an executive order banning biological males from participating in girls’ sports. However, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which governs high school sports in the state, refused to comply with the order and instead adjusted its rules to protect female athletes who competed against Hernandez. These rules ensured that any female athlete who finished behind Hernandez would still be awarded a spot in the competition or receive an elevated medal position.
The policy change led to a unique situation where Hernandez shared podium honors with female athletes who officially finished behind her. This move by the CIF drew the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice, which filed a lawsuit in July 2025 against both the CIF and the California Department of Education (CDE). The federal lawsuit accused the state entities of refusing to align their transgender policies with Trump’s executive order aimed at preventing males from competing in girls’ sports.
The state’s response, including that of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, was to defer responsibility. The Governor’s office emphasized that CIF is an independent nonprofit organization and that the CDE operates as a separate constitutional office, neither under the Governor’s direct authority. The office pointed out that the existing law allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ sports was passed in 2013 under former Governor Jerry Brown and remains consistent with policies in about 21 other states. Changing this law would require legislative action, which had not occurred.
Legislative efforts to alter the policy were indeed made but failed in April 2025 when the California state legislature blocked two bills intended to reverse the current law permitting males in girls’ sports. All Democrats voted against these bills. During the debate, Assembly member Rick Chavez Zbur made a controversial comparison, likening the proposed legislation to persecution experienced by transgender people in Nazi Germany. This comparison was deeply offensive to some, including a descendant of a Holocaust survivor who was present in the chamber and left in disgust. Republican Assembly member Kate Sanchez highlighted this incident, underscoring the emotional and political intensity