May is the month when student athletes from around California go through a series of competitions in Track and Field events to decide who will make it to the state level competition at the end of the month. Briefly, here's how it works. Every high school is part of a local league consisting of a half-dozen or so similar schools. League competitions (prelims and then finals) narrow the competitors to the top athletes in each race/event. Those winners then advance to CIF regional finals. So you might have all the league winners from Orange County, for instance, competing in the CIF prelims. Again, the top competitors advance to CIF finals and the winners there go to a Masters meet and get narrowed down again. Finally, the top athletes meet at the state finals. 

The important point is that at every level along the way, most competitors are left behind. Most athletes never make it to CIF and even fewer ever make it to state. Just making it to the next level of competition is an honor that becomes part of your record. Coaches announce and celebrate the league winners, the CIF-bound athletes and the few who make it to state are by definition the best athletes in their region. People from other schools who compete in the same sport know the names of the local athletes who make it to the state finals.

Recently, a trans athlete named AB Hernandez has been garnering a lot of attention for winning competitions in three field events: triple-jump, high jump and long jump. Hernandez won two events at CIF finals.

After qualifying in three events at the prelims in triple, long and high jump, Hernandez won two CIF titles in the triple and long jump at the Southern Section finals at Moorpark High School on Saturday, May 17.

Hernandez's winning long jump was 19 feet, 2.75 inches, beating out second-place finisher Katie McGuinness of La Canada 18-9.5.

Hernandez's winning triple jump was 41 feet, 4 inches, beating second-place finisher Reese Hogan of Crean Lutheran by just over 4 feet (37-02). Hernandez finished seventh in the high jump (5 feet, 2 inches).

Hernandez won the triple jump by over four feet. And this has raised the profile of the issue locally and nationally. Yesterday President Trump tweeted about it on Truth Social, demanding Gov. Newsom put a stop to it.

"THIS IS NOT FAIR, AND TOTALLY DEMEANING TO WOMEN AND GIRLS," Mr. Trump continued. "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. The Governor, himself, said it is 'UNFAIR.' I will speak to him today to find out which way he wants to go??? In the meantime I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!"

Gov. Newsom did indeed say this was not fair on his own podcast just a couple months ago. But California also has a state law that says trans athletes can compete with whichever gender they identify with. That law has been in place since 2013 so Newsom's comments, while surprising, don't really matter.

However, Trump's threats seem to have shaken something up at the California Interscholastic Federation which governs high school sports. A few hours after Trump's comments they announced a change to the rules about who gets to compete.

At the conclusion of the CIF Section’s Track and Field qualifying meets this past weekend, the CIF made the decision to pilot an entry process for the upcoming 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships. Please see the following statement: pic.twitter.com/qOjWl6eybR

— CIF State (@CIFState) May 27, 2025

In other words, the trans athlete will no longer knock anyone out of competition by being there because the female competitor who missed it by one place will still get to go to the championship race. Gov. Newsom signed on to the change.

"CIF's proposed pilot is a reasonable, respectful way to navigate a complex issue without compromising competitive fairness — a model worth pursuing," said Izzy Gardon, director of communications for Newsom. "The governor is encouraged by this thoughtful approach."

There are two ways to look at this. On the one hand, this doesn't change the fact that a biological boy still took away the chance for female athletes to advance all along the line from league prelims and finals to CIF prelims and finals, etc. At every step prior to the state competition, a girl was left out and doesn't get to add advancing to the next level of competition to her athletic resume.

Also, even some of the girls who did advance came in one place lower than they should have. This clip made the rounds earlier this month. It shows the girl who came in 2nd place to AB Hernandez in one event taking the top spot on the podium after Hernandez stepped away. This girl was cheated out of being the CIF champion because of an unfair competition.

When the boy got off the podium, she assumed her rightful spot as champion. The crowd erupts with applause.

THIS is the way.

Congrats to Reese Hogan, the REAL champ!!! https://t.co/KiEm2yV2YY pic.twitter.com/hqGdikES29

— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) May 18, 2025

Finally, the change made yesterday by the California Interscholastic Federation doesn't solve the overall problem which is that AB Hernandez is still competing in the finals. So, potentially, someone could once again be knocked off the podium by a person who shouldn't be there. Instead of preventing this from happening, the state is going to allow it. More accurately, the state is still requiring it.

On the other hand, the new "pilot entry process" is significant in one way. Without directly admitting it, this is a recognition that a) trans athletes are not the same as female athletes and b) it's unfair for trans athletes to knock female athletes out of competition. 

It's still a half-measure or maybe even less than that, but the California Interscholastic Federation has conceded the principle that basic fairness to female athletes is being violated. And if you follow that logic to its obvious conclusion, the answer is to remove trans athletes from female competitions to prevent all of the other ways in which this is unfair to girls.