A California high school girls’ volleyball team forfeited a match against a team that is believed to include a biological male trans athlete Friday night.
Riverside Poly High School in Riverside County, California, announced its forfeit against Jurupa Valley High School in a statement.
“Riverside Poly High School’s girls volleyball team will not take the court for tonight’s scheduled game against Jurupa Valley High School,” the statement said.
“This match will be recorded as a forfeit in non-league standings. We understand this is disappointing for our athletes, families and supporters, and we appreciate the community’s understanding. We remain committed to providing a safe, positive environment for all student-athletes throughout the season.”
No reason for the forfeit was provided in the statement.
Multiple parents of Riverside Poly players told Fox News Digital that the forfeit was intended to be a protest for fairness and safety in girls’ sports, as trans athlete AB Hernandez competes for Jurupa Valley.
“The decision was not about hatred or anything negative. Trans people still have rights but not a right to play sports against the opposite sex,” said Fred Brayton, the father of a Riverside Poly player.
“It is not about AB. It is about women need[ing] to play against other women. It is about boys participating in girls sports. The small minority of the community that thinks we are discriminating have it wrong. You can be trans all day long but you can’t be a boy and play girl sports. You can still go about being trans but probably need to focus on that and not playing sports against the opposite sex.”
Brayton added that the decision not to play was made by the Riverside Poly players.
An anonymous mother of a player on Riverside Poly’s junior varsity team said her daughter was offered the chance to move up to varsity to play against Jurupa Valley. But the mother said she would not let her daughter compete against Hernandez.
“Two reasons: for her safety, number one… and two, men shouldn’t be in women’s sports,” the mother said of why she wouldn’t let her daughter play. “I’m not willing to risk her safety because [Hernandez] wants to play on a girls’ team… so this is a pretty good message, I think it’s pretty bold of these girls and their parents to have to care and be willing to forfeit the game to make that statement.”
Amanda Vickers, a member of the Riverside Unified School District board, told Fox News Digital she believes the forfeit was in response a trans athlete on Jurupa Valley’s roster.
“A decision was made that the students didn’t want to [play],” Vickers said. “I did get a message yesterday that there [were] parents [of players] that were wearing ‘Save Girls Sports’ shirts. So they were kind of prepared for a protest today.”
Vickers added she believes the forfeit was significant for the sake of the safety of the female athletes, referencing former high school volleyball player Payton McNabb, who suffered permanent brain damage when she was struck in the head with a spike from a trans athlete in 2022.
“What this is about is there is a difference between biological girls and biological boys. And, tonight, the girls of Riverside Polly High School, they’re not going to end up like Payton McNabb,” Vickers said.
Jurupa Unified School District provided a statement to Fox News Digital addressing the forfeit.
“We were notified that Riverside Poly High School canceled today’s scheduled girls volleyball match with Jurupa Valley High School. They did not disclose the reason. We have no additional comment at this time,” the statement said.
Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda Hernandez, released a statement on social media after the news of the forfeit broke. She appeared to reference current California state law, which has enabled trans athletes to compete in girls’ sports dating back to 2014.
“When we follow California law and school policies, especially those that protect the rights of ALL students, we are more than just rule-followers. We are respectful, inclusive, and principled citizens. Even when others choose to be a negative influence, we stand for fairness, dignity, and equality,” Nereyda wrote.
“It’s not always easy, but doing the right thing matters, especially when it supports those who are often marginalized or misunderstood. By choosing respect and inclusion, we help build a school and a society where everyone feels safe, valued, and seen. No matter what challenges come our way, we will continue to respect one another, and each other’s families with compassion and understanding.”
Riverside became a hotbed of controversy involving trans athletes in girls sports last year during Hernandez’s highly-publicized season and after a lawsuit was filed by two girls at Martin Luther King High School that alleged a trans athlete took one of the girls’ varsity spots on the cross-country team.
The students at the school then began wearing the “Save Girls Sports” T-shirts every week in response after school administrators allegedly compared the shirts to swastikas, according to the lawsuit.
Hernandez was the focus of a national media firestorm in May during the athlete’s run to a California girls track and field championship.
The postseason meets that Hernandez competed in were met with protests by female athletes and their families who often wore the “Save Girls Sports” shirts.
Hernandez’s run seemingly drew a response from President Donald Trump, who posted a Truth Social message the week leading up to the state final advising the state not to allow a trans athlete to compete. Trump did not reference Hernandez directly in the post.
Hernandez won the state championship in the girls high jump and triple jump at a meet that saw an LGBTQ protester arrested for allegedly assaulting a conservative activist and a plane flying overhead with a banner that said “No boys in girls’ sports.”
In response to Trump’s warning, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) amended its policies in the days prior to the event to ensure that any female athlete who finished behind a trans athlete at the championship would be bumped up one spot.
This resulted in Hernandez sharing the first-place spots on the medal podium in high jump and triple jump, and the second-place podium spot in long jump at the state meet in.
Then in July, the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Education (CDE) and CIF for its policies that have allowed biological males to compete in girls sports across the state despite Trump signing an executive order in February to prohibit it.
Hernandez was honored by state Sen. Sabrina Cervantes at the Jurupa City Council Aug. 7. Cervantes was present to give Hernandez two certificates on behalf of the California state senate and delivered a speech recognizing the athlete’s championships.
A bipartisan survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found a majority of California residents oppose biological male trans athletes competing in women’s sports.
That figure included more than 70% of the state’s school parents.
“Most Californians support requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams matching the sex they were assigned at birth,” the poll stated.
“Solid majorities of adults (65%) and likely voters (64%) support requiring that transgender athletes compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with. An overwhelming majority of public school parents (71%) support such a requirement.”
