At least eight California girls' high school volleyball teams have forfeited rather than face off against Jurupa Valley High School, whose roster includes a transgender player, AB Hernandez.
WOW. An EIGHTH California girls' high school volleyball team has REFUSED to play against Jurupa Valley for allowing AB Hernandez, a male, to compete on the girls' team.
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 25, 2025
Reports from Outkick revealed that in a recent game against Jurupa Valley, the opposing team was "visibly… pic.twitter.com/bAV7mjAAM7
Patriot High School became the latest to forfeit on September 26, marking the first school within Jurupa Valley High School’s own district to do so. Both campuses are part of the Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD).
Jurupa Valley High School faced three forfeitures on September 13 against Aquinas High School, Yucaipa High School, and San Dimas High School. Prior to that, Riverside Poly High School, Rim of The World High School, Orange Vista High School, and AB Miller High School all forfeited to Jurupa Valley.
Three of Hernandez's current and former teammates have also filed a lawsuit against the school district, California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), and the California Department of Education (CDE) for being forced to share a locker room with a male.
Two of the students, Alyssa McPherson and Hadeel Hazameh, are seniors, and refused to play on the team as long as Hernandez remained, and another student, McPherson's older sister, graduated last year.
"Plaintiffs have been intimidated by an intentionally hostile environment created by Defendants wherein they were bullied by school officials to censor their objections to competing with, and against, a male and to sharing intimate and private spaces with a male," the lawsuit reads.
The McPherson's identify as practicing Catholics, and wrote that they "believe that God created human beings as male and female and that gender is a fixed characteristic that cannot be changed. Their faith informs their understanding of human identity and shapes their views regarding the importance of recognizing and honoring the distinctives of male and female as created by God," according to court documents.
The Hazameh's similarly cited religious objections, identifying as practicing Muslim's. They wrote that their "religious obligations prevent [Hazameh] from exposing her hair or body to males, including by wearing a hijab. Guided by Islamic teachings, they believe that men and women have distinct biological differences, roles, and responsibilities, which should be respected and upheld."
In a statement previously provided to Fox News Digital by JUSD, they encouraged critics to take their issues up with the government. It reads:
School districts do not write laws for the state of California, nor do they have the power to ignore them or change them. However, as primarily state-funded agencies, they are required to follow them. As these issues play out in our courts and the media, any advocacy on these matters should be directed at state and federal officials elected to make laws and policies that affect public education.
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