California school district sued over transgender athlete by 3 girls volleyball players

By allowing a transgender athlete to compete in girls sports the Jurupa Unified School District is violating students rights alleges a lawsuit that accuses the athlete of sexually harassing girls and having an unfair competitive advantage The lawsuit filed on behalf of a former candidate and two girls who attend Jurupa Valley High School seeks to bar the Jurupa Valley district from forcing female trainee athletes to compete with and share locker room space with the trans athlete identified as A H RELATED Bay Area college volleyball players claim physical endangerment in Title IX complaint over transgender competitor While A H is not named in the lawsuit Jurupa Valley High senior AB Hernandez is a trans athlete who has competed on the girls volleyball and track-and-field teams since - Girls sports are for girls No plan can erase the biological differences between males and females and forcing young women to compete against boys is both unfair and unsafe Julianne Fleischer senior counsel for the plaintiffs legal band the Murrieta-based conservative law firm Advocates for Faith Freedom announced in a news release Jurupa Valley s AB Hernandez celebrates after a point against Chaffey High School in a girls volleyball match in Jurupa Valley on Thursday Sept Photo by Milka Soko Contributing Photographer Jurupa Valley High School s AB Hernandez tips the ball over the net in a girls volleyball match against Chaffey High School in Jurupa Valley on Thursday Sept Photo by Milka Soko Contributing Photographer Current and former Jurupa Valley High School volleyball players from left Hadeel Hazameh Alyssa McPherson and Madison McPherson are suing their school district alleging Title IX violations for allowing a transgender athlete in girls sports and locker rooms Courtesy of Advocates for Faith Freedom Show Caption of Jurupa Valley s AB Hernandez celebrates after a point against Chaffey High School in a girls volleyball match in Jurupa Valley on Thursday Sept Photo by Milka Soko Contributing Photographer Expand Fleischer added This circumstance is about restoring dignity to women s sports and ensuring that the God-given distinctions between male and female are respected not erased Related Articles Judge says in tentative ruling California city can t restrict children s book access Pride march in Serbia condemns police violence at anti-government rallies seeks LGBTQ rights Trans teammate poses danger SRJC volleyball players allege in Title IX complaint Opinion To uphold our military s honor we must let trans troops serve the country Pope Leo meets LGBTQ Catholic advocate and vows continuity with Pope Francis legacy of welcome A school district spokesperson could not straightaway be reached Tuesday afternoon Sept for comment In a Tuesday night email Hernandez s mother Nereyda Hernandez noted that she s not named in the suit but mentioned it contains defamation false asserts fabricated evidence harassment and perjury The girls who are suing are being influenced by adults she alleged and being manipulated to provide false information Besides the district the California Interscholastic Federation and state Department of Schooling are listed as defendants Filed Tuesday in federal district court the lawsuit which alleges violations of constitutional rights and federal law seeks unspecified damages and to block the defendants from enforcing state law and policies allowing trans athletes in girls sports The plaintiffs are Madison McPherson a former Jurupa Valley High novice two senior Jurupa Valley female novice athletes identified as A M and H H one is Madison McPherson s younger sister and their mothers Maribel Munoz and Hanan Hazameh While the lawsuit only identifies the minors by their initials Fox News just now profiled Jurupa Valley volleyball players Alyssa McPherson and Hadeel Hazameh who informed the right-leaning cable news framework they would not play on the same band with Hernandez because their safety and privacy were threatened Photos shared with the news media by the plaintiffs attorneys identify Hadeel Hazameh and Alyssa McPherson as plaintiffs along with Madison McPherson The lawsuit argues that the girls were forced to compete with A H whose superior athletic ability stemming from her birth gender helped her finish ahead of Madison McPherson her sister and Hazameh in track and field events Hernandez placed first in the girls high jump and triple jump events at the CIF State Championships in May and also finished second in the girls long jump A H s inherent biological advantages stemming from male physiology also give her an edge over her teammates in volleyball the lawsuit alleges At least six high schools have forfeited or canceled girls volleyball matches with Jurupa Valley s because of A H s presence according to the lawsuit A H s strength also threatens athletes safety the lawsuit argues A H has the strength to hit balls at a force greater than majority female athletes yet lacks the skill to consistently control his strikes lawyers wrote On multiple occasions A H struck opposing players heads with the ball and laughed afterward the lawsuit alleges The plaintiffs who have religious reasons for not wanting to share locker rooms with the opposite gender experienced repeated discomfort when A H entered and lingered in the girls locker room often remaining inside after changing and making eye contact with female athletes while they changed the lawsuit alleged The lawsuit accuses A H of engaging in unwelcomed and offensive contact including slapping and or placing his hands on female players buttocks including Plaintiffs during practices games and huddles In addition to experiencing physical discomfort in the locker room and during crew programs Plaintiffs have been subjected to repeated and unwelcome sexual comments and remarks in the athletic milieu creating an offensive atmosphere The lawsuit also accuses Jurupa Valley High coaches and administrators of repeatedly ignoring the plaintiffs concerns about A H playing girls sports At one point the lawsuit alleges Jurupa Valley Principal Nancy Reyna stated Madison McPherson she could be suspended for her comments about A H or transgender athletes and that she should keep quiet because she had too much to lose given her opportunities to play collegiate volleyball Hernandez s presence in girls sports is part of a nationwide lifestyle war battle over whether trans athletes should compete with females Defenders of transgender athletes say school sports can be a vital assistance system and positive activity for young people struggling over their gender identity Last month the Riverside Unified School District without saying why revealed the forfeiture of a varsity girls volleyball between Jurupa Valley High and its Poly High School Critics including selected Poly students disclosed the district s social media post about the forfeit opened the door to LGBTQ bullying of Hernandez Nereyda Hernandez defended her child at a Riverside school board meeting in August This has nothing to do with fairness in sports and everything to do with erasing transgender children she mentioned The lawsuit isn t the first involving an Inland Empire school district and trans aspirant athletes Last year Advocates for Faith Freedom sued Riverside Unified on behalf of two high school girls who mentioned they were forced to remove or conceal T-shirts opposing trans athletes in girls sports This is a progressing story Check back for updates