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Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., re-shared a photo on X of two California residents who appeared to make malicious gestures toward teenage girls protesting for “Save Girls’ Sports” at a high school volleyball game Wednesday night.
Cruz condemned the two women in his post on Friday.
“If you do this to little girls your heart goes completely dark,” Cruz wrote.
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Jurupa Valley players Hadeel Hazameh (left) and Alyssa McPherson, who filed a lawsuit against the Jurupa Unified School District to protest transgender player AB Hernandez, look on during a CIF Southern Section Division 5 girls volleyball playoff match against Valencia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Placentia, Calif. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
The original photo was taken by California Family Council Outreach Director Sophia Lorey at a state playoff game involving a biological trans male athlete.
The trans athlete team, Jurupa Valley High School, lost in straight sets to Valencia High School. JVHS was brought into the game after finishing as co-champion of its league, as at least 10 games were lost this season amid a national controversy involving the trans athlete.
INSIDE GAVIN NEWSOM’S TRANSGENDER VOLLEYBALL CRISIS
Jurupa Valley fans pose during a CIF Southern Section women’s volleyball playoff game against Valencia, Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Placentia, Calif. (Kirby Lee/Getty Images)
Two of Jurupa Valley’s senior players, Hadeel Hazameh and Alyssa McPherson, were in the stands protesting with other girls after quitting the team in September.
McPherson and Hazameh filed a lawsuit against the Jurupa Unified School District, citing their experience with the trans athlete on the field and in the locker room.
Meanwhile, multiple sources, including Leandra Blades, board trustee for the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District, which is home to Valencia High School, confirmed to PK Press Club Digital that at least one of Valencia’s players did not take the field Wednesday to avoid facing Hernandez.
The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) and the California Department of Education for refusing to change its transgender eligibility policies to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order “Keep Men Out of Women’s Sports.”
