3 volleyball teams forfeit matches vs. transgender player

High schools concede to Jurupa Valley and athlete who became a focus of culture wars.

- BY KEVIN BAXTER

Photographs by TOMAS OVALLE For The Times

AB HERNANDEZ had competed three years without incident before becoming a symbol of the culture wars.

A transgender high school athlete who won three medals in the state track and field championships last spring, sparking a raucous national debate over gender identity in youth sports, finds herself in an unwanted spotlight again after multiple rivals chose to forfeit volleyball matches rather than play against her and Jurupa Valley High teammates.

HERNANDEZ'S outing by a former teacher sparked protests and political threats from President Trump.

Three schools said they would not to take the court for their scheduled non-league games with the Lady Jags this month. The most recent was Orange Vista High in Perris, which told Fox News Digital that it would not show up for Friday’s match at Jurupa Valley. The event no longer appears on the Orange Vista school website or on the volleyball team’s schedule, although it was still listed on the Jurupa Valley calendar Wednesday morning.

None of the schools responded to emails and text messages asking why they chose to forfeit. However, multiple media reports say the schools decided not to play in protest of AB Hernandez, a 17-year-old senior transgender athlete on the Jurupa Valley team.