“No right to play sports”: AB Hernandez transgender athlete faces explosive outrage as Riverside Poly quits girls volleyball game

AB Hernandez, a transgender athlete from Jurupa Valley High School, is in the spotlight again. On Friday night, August 15, 2025, Riverside Poly High School in Riverside County, California, said its girls’ volleyball team would not play the scheduled match against Jurupa Valley.

The school called it a forfeit in non-league standings, saying they wanted to keep a safe, positive place for all athletes. They gave no official reason, but many believe the decision was tied to Hernandez being on Jurupa Valley’s team. A father of a Riverside Poly player said, “trans people have no right to play sports against the opposite sex.”

AB Hernandez transgender athlete at center of Riverside Poly volleyball forfeit

AB Hernandez is well-known in the area. Last spring, she won state titles in the girls’ high jump and triple jump at the California Interscholastic Federation championships.

Her wins came amid protests and a policy change creating shared medals for runners-up so that biological girls weren’t pushed down the rankings.

On the volleyball front, Riverside Poly didn’t give a reason for backing out, but Amanda Vickers, a member of the Riverside Unified School District board, said parents and students had concerns. Some had worn “Save Girls Sports” shirts and worried about safety and fairness.

Fred Brayton, father of a Riverside Poly player, told Fox News:“Trans people still have rights but not a right to play sports against the opposite sex… you can be trans all day long but you can’t be a boy and play girl sports.”Also Read: “Trump Let This Convicted Killer Free”: Martina Navratilova Criticizes Donald Trump After Venezuela Prisoner Swap

Parents, district officials, and AB Hernandez’s mother react to forfeit

Nereyda Hernandez, AB Hernandez’s mother, spoke out online after the forfeit. She said that following California law and school rules means standing for fairness, dignity, and equality. Even when others are negative, she wrote, Jurupa Valley stands for respect and inclusion.The Jurupa Unified School District said they were told Riverside Poly cancelled the girls’ volleyball match and gave no further comment.