Forfeited Volleyball Matches in California’s Transgender Debate

California’s high school volleyball scene has seen increasing tension as a transgender girls’ volleyball team had several games forfeited last weekend. This development followed lawsuits filed by three players—both current and former—against the school district and a state agency.

The matches in question were forfeited during a game against Jurupa Valley High School in Riverside County, as confirmed by Maribel Munoz, mother of two student athletes who are also plaintiffs in the case. She mentioned that the teams from Aquinas High School, Yucaipa High School, and San Dimas High School had their games confiscated. According to the high school sports archive site Maxpreps, Jurupa Valley was awarded a win following the forfeiture against Yucaipa on September 13 in a tournament.

The Southern California Press Enterprise reported on the forfeits involving Aquinas, Yucaipa, and San Dimas last weekend. Fox News Digital attempted to reach out to these schools and Jurupa Valley for comments on the ongoing situation.

Before these recent forfeitures, Jurupa Valley had already seen four teams forfeiting this season, including Riverside Poly High School, Rim of the World High School, Orange Vista High School, and AB Miller High School.

On September 9, Munoz’s daughters—Madison and Alyssa MacPherson—along with teammate Hadier Hashame, initiated a lawsuit regarding their experiences with transgender athletes at the Jurupa Unified School District (JUSD), the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), and the California Department of Education (CDE). They’ve expressed that as long as transgender athletes are part of the team, they feel separated from the competition.

“The plaintiff finds herself in a threatening environment that is hostile, created by school officials,” the lawsuit states. It highlights issues related to competition and sharing spaces with male athletes.

The MacPherson family, identifying as Catholics, asserts that they believe in God’s design of humans as male and female, contending that gender is an unchanging aspect. On the other hand, Hashame’s family cites religious obligations that prevent her from exposing her hair and body to men, guided by Islamic teachings that emphasize distinct roles and responsibilities for men and women.

In a previous statement to Fox News Digital, JUSD suggested that concerns should be directed to government officials and lawmakers rather than the district itself, which has not yet commented on the ongoing lawsuit.

“School districts aren’t in charge of California laws and can’t change them. Being funded mainly at the national level means they have to adhere to these laws,” the statement emphasized. The CDE’s spokesman stated they cannot comment on the pending lawsuit.

CIF has not provided a response regarding the lawsuit when approached for comment. Meanwhile, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office stated that CIF, CDE, and the state legislature bear responsibility for these matters, distancing themselves from direct involvement. “CIF operates independently and is a nonprofit managing high school sports,” the statement clarified, indicating that any changes to the laws must be initiated through Congress.