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EXCLUSIVE: Three young women in southern California are filing a lawsuit against the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), the California Department of Education (CDE) and the Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD) over the inclusion of a biological male transgender athlete on the Jurupa Valley High School girls’ volleyball team.
The lawsuit, which was filed on Tuesday in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, alleged the plaintiffs “have suffered sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, unsafe and unfair athletic environments, viewpoint discrimination, and infringements on their religious liberty and safety” as a result of Jurupa Valley rostering the trans athlete.
The plaintiffs in the case are current players Alyssa McPherson, Hadeel Hazameh, former player and McPherson’s older sister Madison McPherson, and their families. Hazameh and Alyssa McPherson recently withdrew themselves from the team in protest of the trans athlete, they previously told Fox News Digital.
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The lawsuit alleged that Hazameh and Alyssa McPherson were recently removed from the team group chat after telling their coach they were “uncomfortable sharing the volleyball court and locker room with a male student.” The plaintiffs also claimed that the school’s practices have violated the girls’ religious liberities.
“Plaintiffs have been intimidated by an intentionally hostile environment created by Defendants wherein they were bullied by school officials to censor their objections to competing with, and against, a male and to sharing intimate and private spaces with a male,” the lawsuit reads.
The McPherson family, who identify as practicing Catholics, claimed to “believe that God created human beings as male and female and that gender is a fixed characteristic that cannot be changed. Their faith informs their understanding of human identity and shapes their views regarding the importance of recognizing and honoring the distinctives of male and female as created by God,” per court documents.
Meanwhile, Hazameha and her family identify as practicing Muslims “whose religious obligations prevent H.H. from exposing her hair or body to males, including by wearing a hijab. Guided by Islamic teachings, they believe that men and women have distinct biological differences, roles, and responsibilities, which should be respected and upheld,” per court documents.
“Their faith emphasizes modesty, dignity, and the honoring of gender distinctions which must conform with one’ biological sex in both practice and identity.”
The lawsuit seeks monetary damages and to have the trans athlete, AB Hernandez, removed from the team, claiming the athlete’s presence has led other schools to forfeit games to Jurupa Valley this season. So far, four confirmed opponents have forfeited matches to Jurupa Valley amid national scrutiny over Hernandez’s participation in girls’ sports.
Hazameh and Alyssa McPherson competed alongside Hernandez throughout their entire high school volleyball careers. Madison McPherson is a former teammate of Hernandez.
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But this season, Hernandez’s final high school season, opened with widespread controversy after the trans athlete claimed two girls’ state championships in track and field last spring.
The postseason meets that Hernandez competed in were met with protests by female athletes and their families, who often wore the “Save Girls Sports” T-shirts. In the days leading up to Hernandez’s state championship victories, President Donald Trump sent a post on Truth Social warning California officials and Governor Gavin Newsom not to allow a trans athlete to compete in the state finals.
The CIF amended its policies to reward any female athlete that finished behind Hernandez, but still allowed the trans athlete to compete, and ultimately win the girls’ high jump and triple jump, and second place in long jump. The female athletes who finished one spot behind Hernandez shared the podium spots alongside the trans athlete.
Then in July, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the CDE and CIF for its policies that have allowed biological males to compete in girls’ sports across the state despite Trump signing an executive order in February to prohibit it.
That lawsuit is ongoing.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the CDE, CIF and JUSD for a response to the lawsuit filed by the McPhersons and Hazameh, but has not received a response.
The school district previously provided a statement exclusively to Fox News Digital, suggesting blame for the ongoing controversy involving Hernandez should be directed toward government officials and lawmakers.
“School districts do not write laws for the state of California, nor do they have the power to ignore them or change them. However, as primarily state-funded agencies, they are required to follow them. As these issues play out in our courts and the media, any advocacy on these matters should be directed at state and federal officials elected to make laws and policies that affect public education,” the statement said.
“We empathize with all students who are impacted by issues beyond their control. JUSD is committed to upholding the law, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of, among other characteristics, gender, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation in any program or activity, ensuring that all pupils feel safe, supported and affirmed for who they are at school.”
A bipartisan survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found a majority of California residents oppose biological male trans athletes competing in women’s sports.
That figure included more than 70% of the state’s school parents.
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“Most Californians support requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams matching the sex they were assigned at birth,” the poll stated.
“Solid majorities of adults (65%) and likely voters (64%) support requiring that transgender athletes compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with. An overwhelming majority of public school parents (71%) support such a requirement.”
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