An incredible event at a California track meet has caused people to get outraged and intensify the debate taking place in the country.
Reese Hogan approached the first-place podium at the CIF Southern Section Finals even after finishing in second place for the triple jump.
The reason? AB Hernandez, a male-to-female transgender athlete, finished ahead of Hogan.
A fight against women’s sports?
The topic of including transgender athletes in women’s sports is causing much opposition around the country. Trans activists say it promotes equality and fairness, while critics argue it could ruin the fairness of women’s sport.
ACLU’s challenges aren’t only about culture, but about politics now as well. Former President Trump announced his decision in February by signing an order that stops transgender women from joining female sports divisions.
He promised, “The war on women’s sports will come to an end” and that “my administration will not stand idly by while men beat and hammer female athletes.”
Of course, the move immediately sparked a nationwide debate — and it’s not clear every state will comply. In Maine, officials have stated that it is not in their interest to ban transgender people from women’s sports.
A viral incident in California has renewed the controversy.
The footage
On May 18, Crean Lutheran’s Reese Hogan defied the rules during the CIF Southern Section Finals.
Even though she took second in the triple jump, once the ceremony was over, Hogan stood where the transgender athlete AB Hernandez used to be.
When the boy got off the podium, she assumed her rightful spot as champion. The crowd erupts with applause.
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) May 18, 2025
THIS is the way.
Congrats to Reese Hogan, the REAL champ!!! https://t.co/KiEm2yV2YY pic.twitter.com/hqGdikES29
The footage of the scene quickly spread all over the internet. To many athletes, it showed that they felt unequal treatment in their sport.
Although Hernandez is biologically male, they presented as female and jumped 41 feet, 4 inches, easily outpacing Hogan by four feet.
From Jurupa Valley High School in California, Hernandez won the long jump and finished seventh in the high jump to qualify for the CIF Masters Meet on May 24.
The internet gave its response right away.
“This athlete won both the long jump and triple jump for girls in a CA track meet on the weekend,” said Jennifer Sey, the founder of XX-XY.
He cleared the triple jump by 8ft and clinched first place. He’s doing great!”
This guy won the girls long jump and triple jump in a CA track meet over the weekend.
— Jennifer Sey (@JenniferSey) March 3, 2025
He won the triple jump by 8ft. He’s really crushing it!
It’s the giggly “feminine” affectations that make him a girl, right? 😡
pic.twitter.com/bGDyHZUZbR
Well done, that’s really an achievement! There’s no way being a biological man had anything to do with it,” Trending Politics co-owner Colin Rugg replied sharply.
Others followed suit, expressing more dissatisfaction.
‘Second place is the true winner,’ someone posted on social media. Kudos to her! It’s beyond ridiculous and needs to end,” one user commented.
At the meet, a blunt message could be seen on a sign:
Feeble minds often excuse their unfair treatment of women, while those who cannot match other males often compare themselves to women.
One more person joined the discussion:
I’m done with this whole situation. The same team that previously championed women’s rights has now changed its position.
Many controversies have come up.
Ceceilia is one of many transgender athletes who have faced criticism for joining women’s sporting events. Several argue that previous significant events, including one in North Carolina, still haunt the country.
Last year, Payton McNabb, a 17-year-old volleyball athlete, was seriously injured when a transgender player’s spike hit her. Afterwards, her mother said she noticed something off about her.
At that point, we had to stay silent. We couldn’t object by saying, ‘She’s not allowed to play against him, it’s not safe.’
Because of the McNabb case, lawmakers in North Carolina decided to prohibit transgender athletes from playing on girls’ and women’s sports teams at middle, high school and college levels.
Many people disagree with such a policy. Nearly 400 Olympic athletes put their names to a letter asking the NCAA not to follow in these steps, as they wanted to be remembered as those who stood for diversity in sports.
Hernandez ignored the criticism, saying it was “absurd.”
Why do men have to compete with women? This is a ludicrous idea, claimed one critic on the web. “People who are trans should compete in their own league and regular men and women can continue their usual sports.”
Trans girls are women.
However, some people agreed that the athlete should be allowed to have a fair shot at competition.
“She obeyed all the rules and stuck to her course,” said a user. If people criticize her, it’s the rules that are at fault, not her.
“Being trans doesn’t stop someone from being a girl,” another pointed out. Hernandez came out on top in a fair way.
In a new interview with Capital & Main, Hernandez reflected on the backlash she has faced this year, when her track and field campaign included both impressive finishes and times when she didn’t medal.
I’m only a child, you’re an adult and when you act childish, it tells me what kind of person you are. The only thing going through my mind was, ‘You clearly don’t get that this dismisses your stupid points. Since she is biologically male, she can’t lose. My victory means I can no longer be challenged, because you have shown no evidence to the contrary right now.
Capital & Main reports that research shows transgender athletes on average do not outperform athletes who identify as cisgender. By several measures, transgender women fared worse than cisgender women.
There is no sign that this problem will disappear in the near future. As many states impose bans and star athletes take sides, this issue is still being debated.
Her gesture of silence at the podium only made the sound of the protest get even bigger.
