A teammate of a transgender athlete who plays on a California high school girls' volleyball team spoke out on Monday about teams forfeiting games against them so far this season.
Several schools that were set to compete against the Jurupa Valley High School girls' volleyball team have already forfeited this season. AB Hernandez, a transgender athlete who stirred controversy during the track and field season back in the spring, plays for girls' volleyball.
Alyssa McPherson appeared on Fox News Channel's "America Reports" and lamented her senior season slipping away from her because of the forfeits.
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"I just feel like it's so unfair that not only am I missing out on my senior season but my other teammates, our JV team and our freshmen team aren't playing either," McPherson said. "And it's just so disheartening that they're not gonna have a season and we just want to be able to compete, play and have fun."
McPherson added that she hoped to have fun in her final high school girls' volleyball season but is starting to feel like it's being "robbed" from her and her teammates.
"To me, I feel like this is just a fairness issue," she said. "I just want to be able to compete and play and have fun in my last year. I feel like I got robbed of that. I've been looking forward to it since my freshman year and I don't have the opportunity to do that this year. It's just so sad."
Maribel Munoz, McPherson's mother, said she's spoken with the school administrators about the issue facing her daughter and the rest of the program.
"I've complained multiple times to the administration and they just disregard our feelings, our position, really," Munoz said. "I think they just focus more on one particular student versus the many. And that's why we're here. We want the awareness of my daughter and the multiple other girls that are missing out on this opportunity."
She explained why her daughter didn't really see the controversy as a safety issue.
"The safety issue - she doesn't see it so far as that because she plays at a high competitive level as well," Munoz said. "She plays on a volleyball club team. She's used to a higher caliber. So, she doesn't see it as a safety (issue) in that aspect. It's the unfairness and the injustice that we're being dealt with right now."
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Two more forfeits occurred over the weekend.
Jurupa Valley addressed the forfeits in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"We understand and acknowledge the disappointment of our Jurupa Valley High School athletes who are ready and prepared to play. Decisions to cancel matches were made by teams in other districts," the statement read.
"As a public school district in California, JUSD is compelled to follow the law, which protects students from discrimination based on gender identity and requires that students be permitted to participate on athletic teams that are consistent with their gender identity (California Education Code 221.5 (f)). This is consistent with the guidance provided by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond.
"We are proud of our JVHS Jaguars and their willingness to play any team and represent their school and our district with pride. We are currently working to find additional matches to give them that opportunity."
National attention was thrust back onto Jurupa Valley High School when Riverside Poly High School's girls' volleyball team announced it forfeited an Aug. 15 game in a statement. Multiple parents of Riverside Poly players, and a school board member, told Fox News Digital the forfeit was in response to the trans athlete on Jurupa Valley, AB Hernandez.
Hernandez's mother, Nereyda Hernandez, addressed the recent controversy in an exclusive statement to Fox News Digital on Sunday.
"I understand the discomfort some may feel, because I was once there, too. The difference is, I chose to learn, to grow, and to open my heart," she said.
"Believe me, I know some people genuinely don't understand what it means to be transgender. I'm still learning too, right alongside my child. That is why I choose not to respond with anger or disrespect. Instead, I choose empathy, because learning takes time, and compassion makes all the difference."
The statement continued, "My baby is petite, what sets her apart is not her size or strength, but her skill and the way she plays the game... This is a child, and I can assure you that she sees your daughters as peers, as teammates, as friends, not through a lens of anything inappropriate. I know it may be hard to understand, but she is just another girl who wants to play.
"Finally, I leave you with this: My child is so innocent, she didn't even realize the forfeited games were because of her."
Fox News' Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
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