A California mother sparked chaos at a school board meeting after stripping down to a bikini in protest against transgender students using locker rooms based on their gender identity, leading to her removal by police and potential legal action.
Beth Bourne, 50, who chairs Moms for Liberty in Yolo County, stunned officials at the Davis Joint Unified School Board meeting on 18 September when she began removing her clothes during public comment, forcing the meeting into two separate recesses.
The activist said she wanted board members to understand the vulnerability students feel when classmates of the opposite biological sex use changing facilities based on gender identity, particularly as the district requires pupils to change clothes for physical education.
“I’m just going to give you an idea what it looks like when I undress,” Ms Bourne told the astonished trustees before pulling off her striped shirt to reveal a two-piece bathing suit underneath.
Chaos in the Boardroom
Video footage from the meeting shows Ms Bourne approaching the microphone to address the board about locker room policies at the district’s three junior high schools: Emerson, Holmes, and Harper.
“Right now, we require our students to undress for PE class,” she began, before starting to remove her clothing. “This school district is saying that depending on a child’s transgender identity, that they can pick which bathroom they want.”
As she continued speaking whilst undressing, board members immediately objected. “No, you cannot,” one trustee exclaimed, whilst Board Vice President Hiram Jackson attempted to restore order.
Ms Bourne protested, claiming she was wearing a bathing suit: “Excuse me, this is allowed.” However, Mr Jackson struck his gavel and called for a recess, with trustees leaving the room.
“I’ve got to finish my comments,” Ms Bourne raged. “You are violating my First Amendment right, I am putting on my PE uniform.”
Second Chance Squandered
After approximately ten minutes, the board reconvened and gave Ms Bourne a second opportunity to complete her public comment. Mr Jackson warned: “If you disrupt the meeting again, I will just gavel it in recess and you will be asked to leave.”
The activist questioned what she had done to disrupt the meeting, asking if wearing a bathing suit was the issue. However, as soon as she was instructed to begin speaking again, she promptly removed her shirt for a second time.
The board immediately called another recess, this time lasting approximately thirty minutes. During this period, police were called to the scene, and Ms Bourne was escorted from the building, according to the Davis Enterprise.
Davis police confirmed they took a report at 7:15 PM for “disturbing the peace,” noting the subject was “yelling and disrobing, currently wearing a swimsuit.”
Three Years of Advocacy
Ms Bourne told CBS News she has been protesting the school board’s transgender policies for three years and wanted to provide a visual demonstration of what students experience.
“I wanted to give them more of a visual, what does it really look like changing and what would it feel like to have somebody of the opposite sex watching you change,” she explained.
The 50-year-old mother argued: “If the adults don’t feel comfortable watching someone – and I’m a 50-year-old woman – how can they expect girls to feel comfortable doing that in the locker room?”
She added: “I thought I made a really good point.”
Board Response and Legal Questions
Board President Joe DiNunzio, who was absent from Thursday’s meeting, released a statement emphasising the board’s commitment to conducting business whilst maintaining order.
“The Board requires that public presentations to the Board comply with certain procedures,” Mr DiNunzio stated. “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.”
Trustee Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald told local media the board would be meeting with legal counsel to discuss how to handle such situations in the future.
“It’s very inappropriate for anybody to be coming before the board and behaving in such a manner,” Ms Escamilla-Greenwald said. “She could have made her statement without stripping down. Certainly not doing it twice.”
First Amendment Claims
Ms Bourne maintains her First Amendment rights were violated and is consulting with an attorney about potential legal action. She argues she wasn’t being disruptive but rather exercising her right to free speech during the allocated three-minute public comment period.
“What was disruptive was them interrupting my three minutes of free speech,” she told reporters. “That didn’t stop the orderly flow of the meeting. I didn’t prevent the next person from giving their three minutes of comment.”
Under California law, a person can disrupt a public meeting by “engaging in behaviour that actually disrupts, disturbs, impedes, or renders infeasible the orderly conduct of the meeting,” according to the American Civil Liberties Union Northern California branch.
Controversial History
This isn’t Ms Bourne’s first controversial protest. Last year, she was detained by police in Hawaii after confronting drag queens in a hotel lobby, demanding a refund for merely encountering them during her stay.
The activist has also faced criticism for comparing being transgender to “transracial” individuals darkening their skin to appear Black, and for reportedly going undercover as nonbinary to “expose” practices at a gender-affirming care clinic associated with UC Davis.
In October 2023, the Davis Joint Unified School District filed for a temporary restraining order against Ms Bourne following bomb threats to local schools, libraries, and educators’ homes after she shared dozens of social media posts about Davis schools, including some naming specific teachers.
Divided Reactions
Ms Bourne says reaction to her protest has been mixed, with some praising her for highlighting concerns about student privacy and safety, whilst others condemn her methods as inappropriate and disruptive.
“The more open dialogue, open debate we can have on topics that are controversial, I think, we are going to end up having a safer society,” she stated.
The school district has not responded to requests for comment about the incident or their transgender inclusion policies.
The controversy highlights ongoing tensions across America regarding transgender students’ rights to use facilities matching their gender identity, with similar debates occurring in school districts nationwide as communities grapple with balancing inclusion, privacy, and safety concerns.
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