A female high school track athlete who has repeatedly protested against competing against a transgender rival has indicated she may do so again this weekend. Reese Hogan, a student at Crean Lutheran High School in California, gained widespread attention last year after she protested against transgender athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School.
Background of the Controversy
After finishing second to Hernandez 12 months ago, Hogan was photographed standing on the top podium spot where Hernandez had stood moments earlier. The image quickly went viral. Now, Hogan and Hernandez are set to compete against each other again this weekend in the long jump, high jump, and triple jump events. They have been rivals in all of the last three postseason track and field competitions in their region and met last weekend in a preliminary round.
Hogan's Stance
Hogan has not ruled out the possibility of protesting again. When asked by Fox News Digital if she would take a stand this weekend, she replied: "If the opportunity presents itself, we'll see, yeah." At last week's meeting, Hernandez finished first in three jumping events, despite protests from the group 'Save Girls Sports', which accused California Governor Gavin Newsom of abandoning female athletes in the state.
Hernandez won the triple jump title with a distance of 42 feet 4 inches, beating the nearest competitor by several feet. Her long jump of 20 feet 4 1/4 inches was more than a foot better than any other competitor. She then tied for first in the high jump at 5 feet 2 inches with Hogan.
Hogan's Disappointment
In the days following the event, Hogan spoke to Fox News Digital about her disappointment with officials. "This is my third year competing against a transgender athlete, and last year I was stripped away of a CIF Title. I basically worked my whole career to get to that point," she said. "It's just really disappointing to go into a competition knowing you already lost."
Hogan also took to the podium to call out Governor Newsom for his lack of action. She stated: "I'm here to stand up for girls in girls sports and to call out CIF and the state of California for their poor leadership and lack of support for female athletes. The recent statements coming from Governor Gavin Newsom's office have made it clear that they have no intention of creating a safe, fair and equitable environment for female high school athletes."
She added: "The Governor himself has admitted that males competing in women's sports is unfair yet nothing is being done to protect girls who train everyday to compete on a level playing field. I am here today to compete and to win. The situation motivates me to work even harder but at the same time I know there's a strong possibility that this male athlete will win all three titles."
Support from Teammate
Hogan's Crean Lutheran teammate, Olivia Viola, also addressed the matter in an interview with Fox News Digital. "I haven't heard nearly enough adults come out and say anything. A lot of them like to say that they agree with you, that they're proud of you for speaking up now, but they won't do it themselves," Viola said. "Just because it doesn't affect every adult out there doesn't mean it's not worth standing up for."
Governor's Office Response
A source from Governor Newsom's office previously provided a statement defending the current rules, citing a 2013 law that requires students to participate in sports consistent with their gender identity. The statement read: "The Governor has said discussions on this issue should be guided by fairness, dignity, and respect. He rejects the right wing's cynical attempt to weaponize this debate as an excuse to vilify individual kids. The Governor's position is simple: stand with all kids and stand up to bullies."
It continued: "California is one of 22 states that have laws requiring students be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school sports consistent with their gender identity. California passed this law in 2013 (AB 1266) and it was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown."
Ongoing Legal Action
During the protest, Hogan told the crowd: "What has been more frustrating is the silence from CIF. They have never responded to me, acknowledged my concerns and never listen to the female athletes who directly have been affected by these decisions." The controversy follows a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice last July against California state agencies over alleged Title IX violations related to Hernandez's previous victories. The U.S. Department of Education has since expanded its investigation to include 17 other institutions for potential civil rights breaches across the state.
