Controversy at High School Volleyball Game

Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) recently shared a photo on X featuring two women from California who seemed to direct an offensive gesture toward teenage girls protesting “Save Girls’ Sports” during a high school volleyball game on Wednesday night.

Cruz called out these women in a post on Friday, stating, “When you do this to a little girl, your heart goes completely dark.”

The image was originally captured by Sophia Lowry, Outreach Director for the California Family Council, at a playoff game that involved transgender athletes who are biologically male. In this particular matchup, the Jurupa Valley High School team, which included these trans athletes, faced a loss against Valencia High School, losing in straight sets. This team had already forfeited ten games earlier in the season, yet they managed to finish as co-champions of their league amidst ongoing discussions regarding transgender participation in sports.

Jurupa Valley seniors Hadeel Hazameh and Alyssa McPherson took a stand during the game, joining other girls in the stands after they left the team in September. They filed a lawsuit against the Jurupa Unified School District, citing their experiences with transgender players both on the court and in the locker room as problematic.

Additionally, it has been reported by various sources, including Leandra Blais, a board member of the Placentia-Yorba-Linda Unified School District—which encompasses Valencia High School—that at least one player from Valencia refrained from playing on Wednesday to avoid competing against Hernandez, a transgender player.

In a related development, the U.S. Department of Justice has initiated legal action against the California Interscholastic Federation and the California Department of Education for not complying with President Trump’s executive order aimed at restricting men’s participation in women’s sports.