The controversy surrounding Jurupa Valley High School’s girls’ volleyball team and transgender athlete AB Hernandez has deepened, as Patriot High School became the eighth school this season to forfeit rather than face them.
Season in Turmoil
Patriot High confirmed it would not play its scheduled September 26 match against Jurupa Valley, continuing a wave of forfeits that have thrown the team’s season into chaos. In a statement provided to Fox News, Jurupa Valley officials said:
“We can confirm the Patriot High School volleyball team will forfeit their September 26 match.”
Jurupa Valley has struggled to find opponents willing to take the court, leaving their season schedule disrupted and their players caught in the middle of an intensifying cultural battle.
RELATED: California High School Forfeits Volleyball Match Amid Transgender Athlete Controversy
Legal Battle Erupts
The forfeits come as three current and former Jurupa Valley volleyball players have filed a lawsuit seeking to ban Hernandez from competing on the team. Filed with the support of Advocates for Faith & Freedom, the suit argues that allowing Hernandez to compete undermines fairness and safety in girls’ sports.
“Girls’ sports are for girls,” said attorney Julianne Fleischer, who represents the plaintiffs. “No policy can erase the biological differences between males and females, and forcing young women to compete against boys is both unfair and unsafe.”
The plaintiffs — identified by their initials in court documents but named in media reports as Hadeel Hazameh, Alyssa McPherson, and Madison McPherson — have previously spoken publicly about their concerns.
Allegations Against Hernandez
The lawsuit goes further, accusing Hernandez of misconduct during practices and games. According to the filing, Hernandez engaged in “unwelcome and offensive contact,” including allegedly slapping or placing hands on teammates’ buttocks during huddles and matches. The filing includes a photo of players standing in a huddle with their arms around each other’s hips.
Hernandez’s mother has denied the allegations, telling the East Bay Times the lawsuit is filled with “defamation, false claims, fabricated evidence, harassment, and perjury.” She did not provide specifics or evidence to support her rebuttal.
Wider Debate
The case has become another flashpoint in the nationwide debate over transgender participation in school sports. Supporters of Hernandez argue for inclusivity and equal opportunity, while critics insist on preserving girls-only competition categories based on biological sex.
Earlier this month, OutKick reported on one of Jurupa Valley’s matches in which Hernandez played, describing what they called “an advantage so clear and obvious that several members of the opposing team’s supporters were visibly upset by it.”
What’s Next
As legal proceedings unfold, Jurupa Valley remains in limbo, with eight forfeits already logged this season. The standoff highlights the tension between evolving policies around gender inclusion in athletics and longstanding concerns over competitive balance and player safety.
For immediately, the spotlight remains squarely on Jurupa Valley, where both the team and the district are facing difficult questions with no easy answers.
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