NEWYou tin present perceive to Fox News articles!
Clovis, California, volition beryllium the epicenter successful the governmental conflict implicit trans athletes successful girls' sports this weekend.
The municipality is acceptable to big the authorities way and tract championships, which has been thrust into the national spotlight amid a trans jock competing successful the girls' class aft President Donald Trump called retired the concern connected Truth Social this week.
Dianne Pearce, the town's politician pro tem, told Fox News Digital she has been actively lobbying to marque Trump alert of the concern for weeks and got her chap section officials involved.
"I've been successful interaction with the White House legislative affairs bureau to benignant of spot what would beryllium needed from this community, from the Clovis country to amusement our enactment for the Trump administration's efforts to get California to comply with Title IX and his ["Keeping Men retired of Women's Sports"] enforcement order," Pearce said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Pearce said her way to getting the White House progressive was to "amplify the voices" of the town's residents, who lone enactment pistillate athletes competing successful girls' sports.
Pearce succeeded successful that goal, which culminated successful a property league involving authorities and section leaders speaking retired successful enactment of Trump's enforcement bid and against Democrats for enabling trans athletes to play successful California girls' sports up of the title meet.
Pearce says Trump's station was a driving origin successful driving enthusiasm for the cause.
The property league featured statements from Pearce, Clovis Unified School District committee trustee Tiffany Stoker Madsen, authorities Assemblyman David Tangipa, who represents the territory wherever Clovis is based, U.S. House Rep. Vince Fong, who besides represents the territory wherever Clovis is based, and Fresno County supervisors Gary Bredefeld and Nathan Maxson, each speaking successful enactment of Trump's docket connected the issue.
"We indispensable basal for what is existent and what is fair, particularly successful areas wherever biologic differences marque a difference," said Stoker Madsen. "What is happening successful women's sports is wrong. These pistillate athletes merit a level playing field… I impulse Governor Newsom and our California authorities legislatures to support the women of California."
Other residents and section officials, including Mayor Vong Mouanoutoua, stood down the speakers successful solidarity with the pro-Trump stance.
While Mouanoutoua and Pearce are some Republicans, Clovis arsenic a municipality has leaned near successful caller years, albeit little near than different parts of the deep-blue state. The town's region of Fresno voted successful favour of Trump successful the 2024 predetermination by a borderline of 50.9% to 46.5%. However, the region voted Democrat successful each anterior statesmanlike predetermination dating backmost to 2008.
Now, the contented of trans athletes appears to beryllium perchance pushing the town, oregon astatine slightest its leadership, adjacent further into Trump's corner. And residents volition get an up-close look astatine the interaction of the contented astatine this weekend's rubric meet.
The authorities rubric conscionable volition instrumentality spot astatine Buchanan High School's Veterans Memorial Stadium, with the preliminary circular connected Friday and the finals connected Saturday. The lawsuit is expected to diagnostic protesters and security.
California precocious schoolhouse girls' athletes deterioration "Protect Girls Sports" shirts astatine a postseason way conscionable astatine Yorba Linda High School connected Saturday, May 10, 2025. (Courtesy of Reese Hogan)
In Trump's Tuesday Truth Social post, helium claimed helium would beryllium "ordering section authorities, if necessary, to not let the transitioned idiosyncratic to vie successful the State Finals."
Pearce said she has nary cognition of this being communicated to the town's constabulary force.
"As acold arsenic I cognize that has not occurred," she said.
A Clovis Unified Police Department spokesperson told Fox News Digital that they are besides unaware of immoderate connection with Trump involving information procedures for the event. Still, Pearce is expecting a vigilante constabulary beingness astatine the event.
"They are prepared to marque definite that this weekend's authorities championships are a harmless situation for our athletes and their families and those who take to travel retired and enactment them this weekend," Pearce said.
Once the contention begins, each eyes volition beryllium connected the trans athlete, AB Hernandez of Jurupa Valley High School. Hernandez has dominated successful girls' agelong leap and triple leap this postseason, taking archetypal spot successful some events astatine the Southern Sectional finals connected May 17 and the authorities qualifiers connected May 24.
Hernandez has garnered scrutiny during the athlete's ascendant postseason run, often getting heckled by spectators astatine the meets. Pearce hopes that spectators dainty Hernandez with respect during the events connected Friday and Saturday.
"I expect radical to dainty this jock with compassion. I think, unfortunately, the failures of the adults who acceptable this argumentation created this situation. They person allowed this peculiar jock to beryllium successful a presumption wherever contention surrounds him wherever helium goes, and I deliberation that's unfortunate," Pearce said.
"I don't deliberation anybody should bash thing to marque him unsafe portion he's present successful Clovis competing, but again, it's unfair for him to beryllium successful the girls' division."
Pearce said her "worst-case scenario" for this weekend's conscionable would beryllium a deficiency of respect and information for immoderate of the competitors involved.
"If determination is thing that isn't respectful and challenges the information and information of the situation and the atmosphere, that would beryllium terrible," Pearce said. "These kids merit amended than that. They've been failed by the adults already astatine the legislative level and the argumentation level by the CIF, I anticipation those attendants don't neglect them arsenic well."
What Pearce does anticipation to spot is the pistillate athletes look victorious successful their respective events. However, she is besides prepared for much imaginable fallout from the conscionable aft helping to summon Trump's attraction to the situation.
Trump's insistence connected enforcing his enforcement bid has already resulted successful a months-long feud betwixt his medication and the Democrat-controlled authorities of Maine. The feud has resulted successful aggregate backing freezes, which person already been reversed, and a suit against the authorities by the U.S. Department of Justice.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
With the Justice Department launching an probe against California this week aft Trump's post, Pearce knows that her authorities could precise good beryllium adjacent successful enactment for backing cuts connected the issue. Additionally, arsenic a nationalist employee, she knows that it could impact her and her colleagues, but Pearce would afloat enactment immoderate backing cuts to her authorities implicit the contented anyway. To her, it is not a hard determination to support.
"It's not a hard determination to travel to, due to the fact that much important to maine is that our girls and that their spaces are respected and protected," Pearce said. "If they person to endanger that benignant enactment against CIF, Governor Newsom and authorities legislature that they would propulsion national backing from the state, again, the determination rests with those leaders. They tin bash the close happening and we don't adjacent person to speech astir this."
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports sum connected X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Jackson Thompson is simply a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He antecedently worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.
English (US) ·