After the president whipped up a national frenzy over a single trans teenager playing high school sports in California, teams in her volleyball league have begun to forfeit games due to her presence on the court.

Earlier this year, AB Hernandez became the target of nationwide hate and harassment when the president of a local school board publicly doxxed the multi-sport athlete and outed her as transgender. Right-wing activists misgendered her and called her mom “evil,” swarms of adults showed up to heckle her at games, Charlie Kirk pushed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) to condemn her, and the president threatened to withhold federal funding from California over her participation.

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Now competing on the Jurupa Valley High School volleyball team, 17-year-old Hernandez has again become the subject of conservative ire. At least three schools have refused to play against Jurupa while she’s on the team.

At a recent board meeting of the Riverside Unified School District, tensions ran high as parents debated the decision to forfeit by Riverside Poly High School (in addition to Rim of the World High School and Orange Vista High School).

Hernandez’s mother, Nereyda Hernandez, spoke at the meeting to defend her daughter. She slammed board member Amanda Vickers for speaking to Fox News about the controversy. “You actually entertained and welcomed harassment to my child,” she said.

“You are a board member. You have an oath to protect, to support all children, not just the ones that fit your ideas, your beliefs. My daughter is not the problem. The problem is coordinated external efforts often led by individuals [who] travel from district to district… to spread fear and put parents against each other, using religion as a shield for discrimination.”

“This has nothing to do with fairness in sport and everything to do with erasing transgender children,” she said.

Vickers responded by appearing again on Fox News this morning and again to reinforce her point and denigrate trans athletes. She called the other athletes “brave” for refusing to play against Hernandez. “Biological truth is not hate,” she claimed.

Another parent at the board meeting, Maria Correo, said she stood with the girls at the other schools and that “these parents that support their confused child are the problem.”

A statement to Fox Sports from Jurupa Unified School District emphasized its dedication to following California law.

“We understand and acknowledge the disappointment of our Jurupa Valley High School athletes who are ready and prepared to play. Decisions to cancel matches were made by teams in other districts.”

“As a public school district in California, JUSD is compelled to follow the law, which protects students from discrimination based on gender identity and requires that students be permitted to participate on athletic teams that are consistent with their gender identity (California Education Code 221.5 (f)).”

The state of California has been sparring with the current administration over its trans athlete policy. The state of California has had a law allowing trans kids to participate in school sports as their gender since 2013 and has refused to violate it despite the administration’s stance against trans sports participation.

The administration is currently suing California over it.

Amidst all of this is a real teenage girl who has been heckled, threatened, and put in danger by adults who are supposed to protect her.

But Hernandez has said in the past that the president doesn’t scare her. “I can tune it out pretty well,” she told The Guardian in June. “I don’t really care. It’s weird when reporters come, and I’m like, I forgot I’m famous now. But for the most part, I’m living a normal life, and then I go on social media and, I’m like, wait, I’m known.”

Hernandez said of the president and his transphobic right-wing supporters who have repeatedly targeted her and other trans athletes, “They try to use intimidation tactics to push people to quit, but I’m not scared of them. They bark, but we bite.”

“I don’t think they realized who they messed with,” she added. “People say, ‘Ooh, they messed with the wrong kid.’ But at the same time, they messed with the right one. Because I’m not keeping my mouth shut.”

Her mother also spoke to the publication, admitting that she previously supported the president (though she now calls herself nonpartisan). “I wanted to put that out there so people know it doesn’t matter what your political views are,” she said. “You can still be accepting and supportive of your family member.”

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