A transgender athlete took home a second-place medal in a crucial high school track and field competition in California over the weekend, sparking fierce backlash — as the fourth-place medalist appeared to give a thumbs-down at the podium.

Nearly two dozen California mothers, coaches, and activists in interviews were dismayed by the increasingly visible presence of transgender-identifying boys in girls' sports. Yet all but a few declined to speak on the record, citing concerns about loss of reputation, livelihood, or athletic dreams.

Bill Fraser was the girls' lacrosse coach at Acalanes High School in the Bay Area for 13 years until he was fired late last month. Fraser would not discuss the reason for his termination, and the school district did not respond to a request for comment. But Fraser confirmed that in an April Facebook post he expressed support for House Republicans’ proposed ban on transgender athletes and recounted his team's experience playing against a boy.

"None of our girls could stay with him …. he was easily the fastest human on the field," Fraser wrote in the post, which was made private. "Those of you who think this is proper ought to witness it with your own eyes, then return here and explain how we are not endangering all the progress made in sports, on behalf of girls/women, over the past 50 years."