The preliminaries of the California track and field state championship in Clovis on Friday were marked by contrasting opinions and the involvement of police, all revolving around the controversial participation of a transgender athlete in the girls’ category.
At least one person was arrested, the Clovis Police Department confirmed to Fox News Digital.
The person arrested was a protester who is accused of shattering a car window with a flag pole.
The department confirmed the person arrested was an LGBTQ activist.
“This afternoon at 3:55 PM, an altercation between two adults took place at the intersection of Nees/Minnewawa. One adult was on the sidewalk, while the other was in a vehicle at the intersection. Their disagreement escalated to a physical confrontation. During this encounter, one of the adults used pepper spray on the other. Emergency Medical Services were called, and one of the individuals was subsequently arrested,” according to a statement.
The person has been arrested for assault with a weapon and obstructing a police, according to Sergeant Chris Hutchison.
“We don’t have room for violence or property damage or anything like that,” Hutchison.
Meanwhile, a plane flying a banner that read “no boys in girls’ sports” passed over the California track and field championship Friday in Clovis.
Video provided to Fox News Digital by California activist Beth Bourne captured the aircraft flying over Buchanan High School’s Veterans Memorial Stadium.
The stunt was organized by two women’s advocacy group, Women are Real and the Independent Council for Women’s Sports.
“California is beginning to reap the consequences of defying federal law and brazenly harming girls,” said Kim Jones, co-founder of ICONS in a press release announcing the aerial banner.
“How long will Governor Newsom and legislators in this state continue to prioritize granting a few boys the right to take opportunities and recognition away from girls? Not one single boy should ever be in girls’ sports. It’s the easiest problem in the world to solve—and the most brazen public ‘screw you’ to female athletes by Democrat leadership. Since when do we tell a single boy he is more important than every girl in the competition? That he has the right to ruin sports for all of them? It’s time for California to pay and it’s time to right these wrongs.”
Witnesses at the event told Fox News Digital that pro-transgender protesters attended the event in support of transgender athlete AB Hernandez.
The meet and the California Interscholastic Federation’s (CIF) entire track and field postseason has been under a national microscope in recent weeks.
Trans athlete AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School has dominated the girls’ track and field postseason in 2025, prompting national backlash and even the attention of President Donald Trump.
Trump sent a Truth Social post on Tuesday morning, warning the state and Gov. Gavin Newsom of potential funding cuts and orders to local authorities to prevent a trans athlete from competing in the girls’ category.
Then the Department of Justice announced it would launch an investigation into the CIF and California Attorney General Rob Bonta over the state’s law that allows biologically male trans athletes to compete with girls and women on Wednesday.
The CIF announced a pair of rule changes on Tuesday and Wednesday in response to the backlash, expanding the size of the competitor pool and even handing out medals to any “biological female” athlete displaced by a transgender athlete at the meet.
