A 16-year-old high school track and field star became the latest female athlete to stand up against biological men competing in women’s sports when she quietly but powerfully decided to take her rightful place on the podium.
Reese Hogan finished second in the triple jump at the CIF Southern Section Finals in California on Saturday — despite setting a new personal record for herself and her school, Crean Lutheran High School, at 37 feet, 2 inches – because trans athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley bested her by over four feet. Hernandez also won the long jump title against another female opponent at the meet.
When it came time for the medal ceremony, Hernandez took the top spot on the podium and, as Megyn explained, the crowd “cheered for him like he was the legitimate winner.” Hogan accepted her second-place honor, but she took a stand – literally and figuratively – before getting off the podium.
Once Hernandez got down, Hogan walked onto the first-place spot, smiled, and posed for a picture. Riley Gaines shared the moment on X Sunday:
On Thursday’s show, Megyn praised Hogan for taking her rightful place on the medal stand and slammed politicians like California Gov. Gavin Newsom for not standing up for women.
Megyn’s Take
“We’ve talked a lot on this show about the dangers to women. There were the basketball players in Massachusetts who were injured when that trans player – a boy pretending to be a girl – hurt them. We’ve talked about the field hockey player who got her teeth knocked out and severe facial injuries from playing against a biological boy. We’ve talked at length about Payton McNabb.
There have been many other situations, and that is reason enough. There is the obvious risk of putting a girl up against a post-pubescent boy or even mid-pubescent boy. Who even has to argue it? It is obvious what the risks are.
But what we saw in this California situation with the track and field athletes is different. There was no danger to these girls of AB Hernandez hurting them on the long jump or the high jump. What is so powerful about watching Reese Hogan step up on that top platform is the thing I try to always mention when we discuss these stories, which is that the trans athletes are not just stealing medals and potential scholarships. They are stealing the glorious feeling of victory from these girls. They are stealing the joy and confidence-builder of winning, which is something that matters.
How do you build a winner? Is it you just come in second place all the time no matter how hard you work, how hard you train, how much you sacrifice? And they do sacrifice. They sacrifice their physical health. I guarantee you these girls have had injuries. They often sacrifice their grades because when you are an elite athlete like this, you don’t have time to study the way others do. You sacrifice time with your friends because you are not going out the late night parties that are fun and can be important to making friends or finding a boyfriend. You’re not doing that. You’re going to bed early because you have a very early track meet the next day.
I know a lot of these girls. They are gunners. They want it. They’ve got ambition; they’ve got drive; they’ve got commitment. And they deserve the chance to cross the finish line first. They deserve the ability to feel the feeling that comes with hearing your name read out as the winner.
I don’t give two sh-ts how good it makes AB Hernandez feel to compete. You’re cheating, sir. I’m sorry your school doesn’t appear to have an open category. That should not be the problem of Reese Hogan. You can still run with the boys, which is where you belong.
When you watch the video, Reese almost looks embarrassed when she steps onto the top of the podium. She has nothing to be embarrassed about. Gavin Newsom does. AB Hernandez does. The school district does. Shame on them.
Because even if you could give these girls the scholarships they deserve, you are depriving them of something much more fundamental. You are depriving them of confidence-builders that girls must have to become their strongest, best selves; that girls are entitled to. It is literally their right if they are the best long jumper or high jumper in the state of California – amongst all girls – to have the top trophy, and everyone knows it.
Donald Trump is fighting the good fight. That cretin Gavin Newsom wants credit for being on our side, but is doing nothing about it. I am starting to rethink whether we should go on his show. Maybe I should start a lobbying campaign to go on, so we can just spend the whole time talking about this. I always say, my goal in an interview is not to emerge with a person’s jugular, figuratively speaking, but it just might be if I were to sit across from him.
Anyway, Reese Hogan sneaking that moment on the top platform was so compelling, and it moved me so much. I hope you feel the same. Let’s stay fighting the good fight. We are winning, but it is not over.”
You can check out Megyn’s full analysis by tuning in to episode 1,078 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.