A California women’s sports advocate says an audience was forced to leave a school board candidate forum after organizers objected to her “Save Girls’ Sports” T-shirt, which they allegedly described as an “anti-trans hateful message.”

Shannon Kessler, a Republican candidate for California’s 30th Assembly District and founder of Save Girls’ Sports Central Coast, says the confrontation unfolded on September 21 at Arroyo Grande High School during a forum for Lucia Mar Unified School District trustee candidates.

Kessler told OutKick that organizers demanded she cover her shirt, which featured the words “Save Girls’ Sports” on the front and information about her Assembly campaign on the back.

“It’s just a women’s rights shirt,” Kessler said.

The forum was hosted by the League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County and the American Association of University Women’s Five Cities–Pismo Beach branch.

According to Kessler, organizers initially instructed her to turn the shirt inside out because, she said, it violated rules prohibiting political slogans and campaign materials.

She offered to cover the campaign information on the back with a borrowed jacket, but said organizers insisted the message on the front also be concealed.

“That wasn’t good enough for them. They said I had to cover Save Girls’ Sports, that message,” she explained.

Kessler said one organizer described the slogan as an “anti-trans hateful message.”

“I cannot control how you perceive it, but I don’t mean it that way,” Kessler said she responded.

She also accused organizers of applying the rules inconsistently, alleging that another attendee wearing a “Trans kids belong” shirt was allowed to remain without being asked to cover the message.

Rather than demanding that the attendee remove the shirt, Kessler said she supported his right to express his views.

“I don’t have a problem with him wearing that shirt,” she said. “Once again, I feel that he has the right to carry that message.”

The disagreement escalated when organizers announced the public portion of the forum was canceled.

“From this point on, this forum has been canceled, because of that violation, we can not proceed,” an organizer said in footage provided by Kessler.

Audience members were instructed to leave, although the candidates continued answering previously submitted questions on camera without spectators present.

Kessler said she eventually agreed to cover her shirt, remove campaign signs and put away a campaign-branded water bottle, but organizers still dismissed the audience.

“I feel like it was viewpoint discrimination and against my First Amendment rights,” she said.

The League’s published rules prohibit campaign clothing, signs and other political materials inside its forums. Organizers also reserve the right to deny entry to individuals wearing clothing considered political or disruptive.

The Lucia Mar Unified School District clarified that it had no involvement in organizing the event or enforcing its rules.

“The Sept. 21 candidate forum was not a school- or District-sponsored event,” the district said, explaining that the League rented the school’s facilities.

The incident comes amid ongoing disagreements in California over transgender students participating in girls’ sports and using school locker rooms.

Kessler, who has previously urged the Lucia Mar school board to adopt policies based on biological sex, maintains that her advocacy is focused on protecting women’s athletics rather than targeting individuals.

“We’re not against any individuals,” she said. “We’re against this state policy.”

The controversy has renewed questions about free expression, viewpoint discrimination and whether political messages are being treated equally at public forums.