With students heading back to school across the country, the issue of biological men competing in women’s sports is back in the headlines.
Earlier this month, a California state senator honored a transgender high school track athlete who dominated his female competition at the state championships in a special ceremony that also included the local mayor and city council. Not present at the event? Any of the young women he beat.
On Wednesday’s show, Megyn was joined by California gubernatorial hopeful Steve Hilton to discuss the absurd recognition and just how out of control things have gotten in the Golden State.
On Background
Democratic California State Sen. Sabrina Cervantes, Jurupa Valley Mayor Brian Berkson, and the Jurupa Valley City Council honored transgender high school athlete AB Hernandez – who competes for Jurupa Valley High School in Riverside County, California and controversially won multiple girls state track and field titles at the end of May – at a city council event last Friday.
Hernandez sparked a national debate that made it all the way to the White House earlier this year after he dominated the long jump and triple jump competitions over his female competitors all spring. President Donald Trump threatened to cut off federal funding for California if the state continued to allow biological males to compete in women’s sports in defiance of his executive order.
That led the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) to hastily implement a policy change that permitted “any biological female student-athlete who would have earned the next qualifying mark for one of their Section’s automatic qualifying entries in the CIF State meet” but “did not achieve the CIF State at-large mark in the finals at their Section meet” due to a male competitor to “participate in the 2025 CIF State Track and Field Championships.”
The updated rule did not, however, address the underlying issue of trans athletes being allowed to compete in women’s sports, which led to Hernandez taking first place in the girls high jump and triple jump events.
The Ceremony
But none of that seemed to bother Cervantes, Berkson, or the city council. Berkson presented Hernandez certificates to “recognize” him for the “outstanding accomplishment” of “winning CIF state track and field championships” and said his “preservation and dedication” are a “testament to [his] motivation to succeed.”
Cervantes was also on hand to deliver a speech. “We just want to take a moment this evening to recognize AB Hernandez for their grit, their passion, and their dedication to this sport,” she said, in part. “I am just so proud to know that you continue to prevail despite all the noise out there, and you’re focused on your goals and your dreams and your aspirations.”
The Democrat lawmaker went on to call Hernandez an “inspiration” to others. “We know how difficult it is to get to that level, to be an athlete at that level,” Cervantes added. “And so, again, your dedication and passion is an inspiration to so many.”
Fox News reported that no female athletes from the area who competed in the girls state track and field championship were honored at the event.
Legal Action
With Gov. Gavin Newsom being term-limited out of office next year, Hilton is hoping to secure the Republican nomination and this issue is one of many he is campaigning on. He believes the only way to truly restore sanity in girls sports in California is by changing the law.
As Hilton explained, Hernandez is allowed to compete in the girls category because of Assembly Bill (AB) 1266, also known as the “School Success and Opportunity Act.” Passed in 2013, the legislation “requires that a pupil be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs, activities, including athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil’s records.”
Hilton acknowledged “the law is the law,” but he said it is “not enough just to be outraged.” While he said the state legislature “won’t overturn that bill,” his legal advisors believe the governor has the power to challenge legislation that may violate the California State Constitution. Hilton said they think this law does that in “two particular areas.”
“Section 28 guarantees safe schools, and section 31 bars gender discrimination. What is this if it’s not discrimination against girls,” he asked. “So my plan, very clearly… will be to overturn this obscene legislation… that is just one of many of these unbelievable, extreme cultural things [in California].”
[Editor’s Note: You can learn more about Megyn’s position on preferred pronouns here.]
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Hilton by tuning in to episode 1,127 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.