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COLLEGE SPORTS. NOW TO A KCRA THREE EXCLUSIVE. FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE’RE HEARING FROM AB HERNANDEZ, THE TRANSGENDER HIGH SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETE WHO WAS PROTESTED LAST WEEK AT THE CIF CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE CENTRAL VALLEY. SHE WON TWO GOLD MEDALS. MEDALS. KCRA 3’S SARAH MCGREW SPOKE WITH HERNANDEZ IN AN INTERVIEW. YOU’LL SEE ONLY ON KCRA THREE. AB HERNANDEZ HAS BEEN COMPETING IN TRACK AND FIELD AND VOLLEYBALL HERE AT JURUPA VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL IN RIVERSIDE SINCE HER FRESHMAN YEAR. IT WASN’T UNTIL THIS YEAR, HER JUNIOR YEAR, THAT PEOPLE STARTED PROTESTING HER PARTICIPATION BECAUSE SHE’S TRANSGENDER. BUT THE 16 YEAR OLD SAYS SHE JUST LAUGHS OFF ALL THE HATE. IT’S DEFINITELY CRAZY. I MEAN, I GET A LOT OF HATE COMMENTS, BUT I’M LIKE, I DON’T CARE. LIKE 16 YEAR OLD GIRL WITH A MAD ATTITUDE, LIKE, YOU THINK I’M GOING TO CARE. WHEN AB HERNANDEZ WAS OUTED AS TRANSGENDER BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE JURUPA VALLEY UNIFIED SCHOOL BOARD, THE DISTRICT SHE’S A STUDENT IN. SHE HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT. I MEAN, I KIND OF JUST TRIED TO FLY UNDER THE RADAR BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, TRANS ATHLETES GET A LOT OF HATE. BUT SOON PROTESTERS WERE SHOWING UP TO HER TRACK AND FIELD MEETS, WHERE SHE’S BEEN COMPETING IN TRIPLE JUMP, HIGH JUMP AND LONG JUMP FOR THREE YEARS. THEY PICKED THE RIGHT KID FOR US. THE WRONG KID FOR THEM. BECAUSE. LIKE THEY SAID, WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN. PROTESTS FOLLOWED HER THROUGH THE SEASON, INCLUDING THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS LAST WEEKEND. IT’S JUST WEIRD AT THIS POINT. I MEAN, THEY FOLLOWED ME FOR A WHOLE SEASON. SO WHILE THE FEW DOZEN PROTESTERS WERE CONTAINED TO OUTSIDE THE STADIUM GATES, WHAT AB FOUND INSIDE OF VETERANS MEMORIAL STADIUM IN CLOVIS WAS A LOT OF SUPPORT. YEAH, I MEAN, THE SUPPORT WAS JUST INTENSE. I MEAN, I WASN’T EXPECTING ANY OF IT, TO BE HONEST. I WAS EXPECTING TO JUST GO OUT THERE AND COMPETE ALONE. THEY REALLY MADE MY EXPERIENCE PERFECT. SO I WILL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR THEM. HER BIGGEST SUPPORTER WAS WATCHING FROM THE STANDS. HER MOM, ABBY, CAME OUT TO HER MOM IN EIGHTH GRADE, AND WHILE IT WAS SOMETHING HER MOM WAS SURPRISED BY AT FIRST, IT’S SOMETHING THEY BOTH SAY HAS ONLY BROUGHT THEM CLOSER. YEAH, IT MEANS A LOT. I MEAN, THERE’S SOME KIDS OUT THERE WHOSE PARENTS DON’T ACCEPT WHO THEY ARE, SO I’M VERY GRATEFUL. ULTIMATELY, ABBY WAS ABLE TO DROWN OUT THE OUTSIDE NOISE AND GROUND HERSELF IN WHAT SHE KNOWS HOW TO DO BEST COMPETE. I THINK THAT WAS MY BIGGEST THING ON MY HEAD WAS DON’T SCRATCH. SHE’D GO ON TO WIN TWO FIRST PLACE MEDALS AND ONE SECOND PLACE. THOSE AWARDS WERE SHARED BECAUSE OF A RULE CHANGE SHORTLY BEFORE THE CHAMPIONSHIP MEET. DID WHAT I WANTED TO DO. I POURED AND EVERYTHING. SO THAT’S REALLY WHAT I WAS AIMING TO DO. SO ALL THIS BACKLASH AND JUST LIKE I PERFORMED MY BEST, SO THAT’S ALL I CARED ABOUT. REPORTING IN JURUPA VALLEY I’M SARAH MCGREW. SARAH NABS CONVERSATION WENT MORE IN DEPTH, AND WE’LL H