Trans Athlete Podium Controversy Rocks California Ahead of Primaries
A controversy over podium placements at a California high school track championship has ignited a political firestorm, with leaked officials letters, viral backlash, and fallout reaching Governor Gavin Newsom’s office just weeks before the state’s gubernatorial primaries. The incident, which unfolded at the CIF Southern Section Divisional Championship Finals on May 16, has thrust the debate over transgender athletes in girls’ sports to the center of California’s election cycle.
The Events at Moorpark
AB Hernandez, a 17-year-old transgender student at Jurupa Valley High School in Riverside County, won first place in all three jumping events entered — long jump, high jump, and triple jump — at the championship meet held at Moorpark High School. According to Fox News, Hernandez posted a winning long jump mark of 20 feet, 4.75 inches (6.21 meters), comfortably ahead of Moorpark’s Gianna Gonzalez, who jumped just over 19 feet.
What followed on the podium, however, drew far more attention than the results themselves. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) had implemented a pilot program allowing cisgender female athletes who finish behind a transgender competitor to be “bumped up” one placement on the podium and receive the corresponding medal. A letter announcing the policy’s continuation was dated May 16 — the day of the event.
During the high jump ceremony, Oak Park High School’s Gwynneth Mureika was announced as co-champion and stepped up to the top spot. Hernandez then stepped up beside her. The image of the two standing together on the podium, captured by Fox News Digital, went viral within hours. In the long jump, Hernandez was absent warming up for another event, so Gonzalez took the first-place spot alone. In the triple jump, Shadow Hills’ Malia Strange did not appear at the podium at all, leaving Hernandez standing alone on the top spot.
Athletes Speak Out
Reese Hogan, a senior at Crean Lutheran High School who went viral in 2025 for stepping up to the top podium spot after Hernandez stepped down, finished third in the high jump. Her teammate, Olivia Viola, called the CIF’s podium policy “nothing but a band-aid fix” during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “America Reports.”
“It doesn’t actually undo all of the displacements that have happened throughout their entire league,” Viola said. “It only applies to the final CIF meets. It doesn’t apply to league, it doesn’t apply to outside meets, it doesn’t apply to other sports. It doesn’t actually fix the problem, it’s just a blanket to keep us quiet.”
Parents at the event also voiced strong criticism. Tracy Howton, Olivia Viola’s mother, told the New York Post that Newsom “has tried to peg any female who’s trying to stand up for women as bullies.” Her husband, Juan Luis Viola, asked: “Where are the adults fighting for the kids?”
Political Shockwaves
The controversy has become a defining issue in California’s 2026 gubernatorial race, with primaries scheduled for June — just three days after the upcoming CIF State Track & Field Championships in Clovis. A CBS News survey of 11 candidates published in November 2025 revealed sharp divisions, with Republicans like Steve Hilton and Chad Bianco opposing transgender participation in girls’ sports, while Democrats like Xavier Becerra and Tony Thurmond defended current state law.
Governor Newsom’s office initially provided a statement saying the administration would “stand with all kids and stand up to bullies.” But after the May 16 meet, his office redirected inquiries to the CIF, declining to offer further comment. Newsom has previously acknowledged the difficulty of the issue, telling KQED in October 2025 that he agrees “on the issue of fairness” but has struggled to reconcile competing concerns.
A Public Policy Institute of California poll from April 2025 found that 65% of Californians supported requiring students to compete based on sex assigned at birth, underscoring the political stakes.
National Reaction
The viral podium photo drew responses from prominent figures across the political spectrum. Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines posted the image, writing: “If you have to create a shared podium for the boy competing in the girls’ event, you’ve already admitted you know he isn’t a girl and that his participation is unfair.” Actors Rob Schneider and James Woods also weighed in, with Woods linking Newsom to potential 2028 presidential ambitions.
Meanwhile, LGBTQ+ outlet Them published an article with the headline: “Trans Athlete AB Hernandez Forced to Share First Place With Cisgender Girls at Track Meet,” framing the CIF policy as exclusionary.
What’s Next
The CIF has not responded to multiple requests for comment from Fox News Digital. All eyes now turn to the state championship meet in Clovis, followed immediately by the June primaries — a sequence that ensures the debate over transgender athletes in girls’ sports will remain at the forefront of California’s political conversation for weeks to come.