“Embarassing” to a “major victory” — those were some of the reactions by supporters and opponents of transgender athletes competing in California public school and intercollegiate athletics Tuesday after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for states to ban transgender girls and women from playing on school athletic teams.
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Such competition is currently legal in California and it should stay that way, proponents said. “It’s embarrassing that our nation is even ruling on this,” said Nereyda “Nena” Hernandez of Jurupa Valley, mother of 17-year-old transgender athlete AB Hernandez who became well known nationwide when she won competitions and was attacked by President Donald Trump.
AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School stands atop the podium alongside Oak Park’s Gwynneth Mureika (right) and Crean Lutheran’s Reese Hogan during the Division 3 girls high jump medal ceremony at the CIF Southern Section Track and Field Finals at Moorpark High School on Saturday, May 16, 2026.(File photo by Andy Holzman, Contributing Photographer)
Chino Valley Unified School District board President Sonja Shaw, seen telling a woman who disrupted a July 2023 board meeting to leave, plans to run for California state superintendent of public instruction in 2026. (File photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)
But those who believe biological females should not face competition from transgender girls hailed the ruling.
Chino Valley Unified School Board President and current candidate for the California State Superintendent Sonja Shaw called it a “major victory for girls and for common sense.”
“For years, California’s politicians, Governor Newsom, and the CIF told us to sit down, stay quiet, and accept ideology over fairness,” Shaw said in a Tuesday text. “We refused. We continue to stand and link arms with parents, athletes, coaches, and advocates who believe girls deserve better.”
Hernandez has become the face of the controversy in California and along the way has been subjected to many instances of anti-transgender rhetoric — in March 2025 President Donald Trump went on a social media tirade on his social media platform Truth Social alleging he was going to withhold federal funding from California.
“THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS. Please be hereby advised that large scale Federal Funding will be held back, maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to,” Trump said the March 2025 post.
The Trump administration also filed a lawsuit against California for allowing transgender athletes to compete, and the lawsuit is still active.
Nena Hernandez, however, said Tuesday: “They (student athletes) are being told they’re less worthy of participating, and it’s not fair. Kids just want to play, to have fun, especially trans children who many times don’t have the support at home.”
AB, a recent graduate of Jurupa Valley High School, made headlines and won multiple titles at state CIF championships both this past school year and the year before. The track athlete excelled in triple jump, high jump and long jump events.
Under California’s CIF policy, cisgender female competitors beaten by Hernandez in the final standings were allowed to tie her in those respective events at the state finals, meaning Hernandez shared the spot on the podium.
Nena Hernandez said that her daughter, while no longer competing at the state level since she graduated, hopes to keep fighting for trans rights in sports. Under NCAA rules, she can still participate in the sport in college but not compete, unless she were at a junior college.
“The promise in our Constitution is that no one should be excluded,” Nena said. “Instead of treating each child with dignity, they’re just discriminating, perverting, trying to divide us. The children are not the issue… it’s sad that, with so few trans athletes there are in the nation, this (ban) is what we’re focusing on? Why aren’t we learning from each other, instead of attacking each other?”
The younger Hernandez, who has since graduation been busy participating in transgender pride and advocacy events, promises “to be visible,” her mother said.
“We’re going to keep fighting for the future. This administration is going to end someday, and hopefully we can make sure kids are being treated equally, give them a big hug, because we understand how they feel,” Nena Hernandez said. “This (sport) is a positive outlet. The kids just want to play.”
Sate Sen. Scott Wiener of the San Francisco area said the ruling “has once again fueled the campaign to erase and dehumanize trans people.”
“And the way the Court wrote the decision opens the door for other efforts to eliminate trans people from public life,” Wiener said in a statement.
Wiener has long been an outspoken supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and has used his position to platform transgender rights.
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“Just let these young people play sports. Just leave them alone.
Trevor Norcross, a board member of the Gala Pride Center in San Luis Obispo, and his daughter Lily Norcross have worked together to bring support and awareness about what transgender athletes like Lily face when participating and competing.
Both agreed that though things could be worse with the ruling and they were happy it was not.
“You know, this ruling was not a blanket ban on transgender individuals from from participating in sports,” Trevor Norcross said in an interview. “California has, you know, strong protections in place, and we want to make sure that they stay in place.”
Lily Norcross, who is entering her senior year, competes on her school’s track and field team, says she has experienced discrimination in the past and recently and is wary the current protections are enough.
“I think, like, yes, although as of right now, we have legal protections. I think that when you look at especially Gavin Newsom currently. I personally think that he is a huge coward,” she said in an interview. “He seems to be bending over to Donald Trump’s will on anything that has to do with transgender people. And I, to be completely honest, would not be surprised if he attempted to enforce this illegal ruling in his last few months.”
Trevor Norcross says that the outspoken opposition to transgender rights is more organized and has more money to push their messaging that is hurtful to the community.
“The core of their belief has nothing to do with sports or fairness or bathrooms. They want to eradicate transgender people,” He said. “The sports and fairness issue is just the easiest attack factor to get people used to discriminate against the transgender community.”
Not everyone agreed.
Shaw, the state superintendent candidate, has been a vocal advocate for “Save Girls Sports,” a conservative movement that looks to remove transgender athletes from gender affirming sports and facilities. In May, Shaw appeared at a rally outside the state competition in Clovis and said girls were being “robbed” of opportunities in sports and that transgender athletes created a reality of “unfair competition with male athletes.”
“Our daughters deserve fair competition, privacy, safety, and equal opportunity,” Shaw said Tuesday. “Too often, girls who spoke out against this unjust system were mocked or silenced.”
Shaw’s fight with transgender athletes dates back to 2023 when the board passed a parent notification policy that landed it in court. The policy required districts to tell parents within three days if their child identifies as transgender or looks into gender affirming facilities or programs.
In 2024, the board approved a resolution denouncing an expansion to Title IX put forward by the Biden administration meant to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ students.
Title IX is a 1972 federal law that prevents sex-based discrimination, harassment and violence in any education institution that receives federal funding.
At the time, Shaw said the expansion took away rights from girls in sports.
“Today’s decision is a significant step forward, but our work in California is far from over,” Shaw said Tuesday. “California should be leading the nation in protecting girls, not forcing them to surrender their rights.”
Shaw said if she is elected the “attack” on girls sports will end on day one.
“We will continue fighting until every girl has the opportunity to compete on a level playing field and the protections guaranteed under Title IX are fully restored,” Shaw said. “Today we celebrate this hard fought victory and tomorrow we get back to work. We will not give in. We will not back down. We will not stop until California puts girls first.”
California has offered protections for transgender individuals with several assembly and senate bills offering protections and rights for transgender youth and others.
Going into effect July 1, 2026, is Assembly Bill 760, which requires all schools and institutions to have at least one all gender restroom available for use.
The state also passed Assembly Bill 5 in September 2025 titled “The Safe and Supportive Schools Act,” which protects children’s right to education and equal access despite gender or sexual identity.
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