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One of California’s secondary schools that lost its volleyball game to another with a trans athlete on its list provided an explanation of its decision not to play.
The Women’s Volleyball Team of Jurupa Valley High School has been involved in controversy this season due to AB Hernández, a trans athlete, playing for his team.
Orange Vista High School, which was scheduled to face the Juraup Valley on August 29, provided Pak Gazette Digital for a statement that was addressed to the loss.
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‘Save Girls Sports’ protesters and Trans Hernández athlete (Getty images)
“After reflexive discussions that our athletes students had with the coaching staff, it was decided to cancel our next University Volleyball Party against Jurupa Valley High School. This decision was made together with the directors of Athletics in Orange Vista and Jurupa Valley,” reads the statement.
“Our priority is always the well -being of our students. We are proud of our athletes for bringing their thoughts forward and for supporting each other to make this a team decision.”
Maribel Muñoz, the mother of a player in Juraupa Valley, provided digital copies of Pak Gazette messages sent by the team coach, Liana Manu, to the parents of players, informing them that the next games of the team against Rim of the World High School on August 25 and Orange Vista.
More volleyball teams from the California High School of Girls lose the squad with the Trans athlete
Jurupa Valley also addressed losses in a statement before Pak Gazette Digital.
“We understand and recognize the disappointment of our athletes from Jurupa Valley High School that are ready and prepared to play. Decisions to cancel matches were taken by teams in other districts,” reads the statement.
“As a public school district in California, Jusd is forced to follow the law, which protects students from discrimination based on gender identity and requires that students are allowed to participate in sports teams that are consistent with their gender identity (California Education Code of California 221.5 (f)). This is consistent with the guide provided by the Attorney General of California Rob Bonta and the Superintendent of Public Instruction of California Tony Thurmond.
The winners of the first place AB Hernández, on the left, and Jillene Wetteland share a light moment before the medal ceremony for the high jump in the track championships and field of the Secondary School of California in Clovis, California, on Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
“We are proud of our JVHS Jaguares and his willingness to play any team and represent his school and our district with pride. We are currently working to find additional matches to give them that opportunity.”
The National Center for National Attention Team of Jurupa Valley began when Riverside Poly High School announced that he lost his confrontation of August 15. Multiple parents of Riverside Poly Players, as well as a member of the School Board, told Pak Gazette Digital that the loss was in response to Hernández in the Juraupa Valley list.
Hernández’s mother, Nereyda Hernández, addressed the situation in an exclusive statement to Pak Gazette Digital.
“I understand the discomfort that some may feel, because I was also there. The difference is that I chose to learn, grow and open my heart,” he said.
“Believe me, I know that some people do not understand what it means to be transgender. I am still learning, just next to my son. That is why I choose not to respond with anger or lack of respect. Instead, I choose empathy, because learning takes time and compassion makes all the difference.”
AB Hernández, a transgender student in Jurupa Valley High School, poses for photos with his medals in the Athletics Championships of California High School in Clovis, California, on Saturday, May 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Nereyda Hernández added that what distinguishes his “baby” is not “is not its size or strength, but its ability and the way the game plays.”
“This is a boy, and I can assure you that you see your daughters as colleagues, as teammates, as friends, not through a lens of something inappropriate. I know it can be difficult to understand, but she is just another girl who wants to play,” Nereyda Hernández continued.
“Finally, I leave you with this: my son is so innocent that he did not even realize that the lost games were due to her.”
In July, the United States Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education of California (CDE) and the Interscolastic Federation of California (CIF) for their policies that allowed biological men to compete in girls’ sports throughout the State, which was against the executive order of President Donald Trump signed in February to prohibit it.
Hernández is a last year student in Jurua Valley, which makes this the last season of Volleyball of Secondary School for the athlete.
The transgender athlete AB Hernández del Jurupa Valley leaves the track during the Athletics Championships of the CIF state in the Stadium Memorial veterans on May 30, 2025, in Clovis, California. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
Muñoz, who says that his daughter has played with Hernández in the female volleyball team during the last three years, is the first father of one of the Trans athlete teammates in speaking against the school for her management of the situation.
“It makes me feel sad, it makes me feel angry, frustrated, so many emotions,” Muñoz told Pak Gazette Digital.
