California woman strips at school board meeting in protest of trans policies

A 55-year-old anti-LGBTQ+ activist removed most of her clothing during a school board meeting in Northern California last month to protest the district’s policies on transgender students’ restroom and locker room access, according to multiple media reports.

A member of the conservative “parent rights” group Moms for Liberty, which has been successful in getting children’s books dealing with LGBTQ+ issues banned from some school libraries around the country, Beth Bourne began her demonstration at the podium during the public comment portion of the Sept. 18 Davis Joint Unified School District’s Board of Education meeting.  

In footage of the incident posted by The Sacramento Bee, the Yolo County-based activist held up a gym uniform and suggested middle school students are uncomfortable in locker rooms where they have to change front of their transgender classmates.  

DJUSD’s policies do permit transgender students to choose the restroom and locker room of the gender they identify as.  

Bourne, who has a college-aged daughter that identifies as nonbinary, according to the Los Angeles Times, then removed her top, revealing a sports bra, while informing the board that she wanted to give them an idea of what that looks like.  

Board members reportedly looked at one another while the 55-year-old continued, removing her pants and talking about transgender students “self-identifying into different bathrooms.”  

As one of the board trustees attempted to intervene, Bourne, now in a bikini bottom, objected, saying her demonstration was allowed. She tried to put on a PE uniform when the board’s vice president quickly called the meeting to recess.  

The activist said she never intended to remove her sports bra during the meeting and suggested that what she was doing was typical of what happens in girls’ locker rooms.  

“You would, of course, be more comfortable having people of the same sex,” she said, adding that the point was to make the board uncomfortable and that changing in locker rooms should only be done in the presence of the same sex.  

The Davis Police Department responded to calls about the incident, but by the time officers arrived, the 55-year-old activist had reportedly put her clothes back on and agreed to leave.  

While district officials declined to comment on Bourne’s demonstration, in a statement to The Times DJUSD said it is committed to hearing public comments during meetings and that the board requires presentations to comply with procedures outlined in their bylaws.  

“In cases where that conduct disrupts the normal course of business, the board chairperson may pause the meeting and request that those disrupting the meeting leave chambers,” the statement continued.  

Bourne’s two children, one of whom is still in high school, have attended school in the district. Her eldest, Lily Beth, came out as trans six years ago, The Times reported. Her mother has said her daughter, now in college, “was transitioned at school by her teachers and counselors.”