{"id":33086,"date":"2026-10-12T10:28:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T14:28:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=33086"},"modified":"2026-10-12T10:28:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T14:28:19","slug":"attendees-kicked-out-of-california-school-board-forum-over-save-girls-sports-shirt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2026\/10\/attendees-kicked-out-of-california-school-board-forum-over-save-girls-sports-shirt","title":{"rendered":"Attendees Kicked Out of California School Board Forum Over \u2018Save Girls Sports\u2019 Shirt"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
@kesslerforca \/ Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A California women\u2019s sports advocate says an audience was forced to leave a school board candidate forum after organizers objected to her \u201cSave Girls’ Sports\u201d T-shirt, which they allegedly described as an \u201canti-trans hateful message.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shannon Kessler, a Republican candidate for California\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Kessler told OutKick that organizers demanded she cover her shirt, which featured the words \u201cSave Girls’ Sports\u201d on the front and information about her Assembly campaign on the back.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a women\u2019s rights shirt,\u201d Kessler said.<\/p>\n

The forum was hosted by the League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County and the American Association of University Women\u2019s Five Cities\u2013Pismo Beach branch.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat wasn\u2019t good enough for them. They said I had to cover Save Girls’ Sports, that message,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

Kessler said one organizer described the slogan as an \u201canti-trans hateful message.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI cannot control how you perceive it, but I don\u2019t mean it that way,\u201d Kessler said she responded.<\/p>\n

She also accused organizers of applying the rules inconsistently, alleging that another attendee wearing a \u201cTrans kids belong\u201d shirt was allowed to remain without being asked to cover the message.<\/p>\n

Rather than demanding that the attendee remove the shirt, Kessler said she supported his right to express his views.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have a problem with him wearing that shirt,\u201d she said. \u201cOnce again, I feel that he has the right to carry that message.\u201d<\/p>\n

The disagreement escalated when organizers announced the public portion of the forum was canceled.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom this point on, this forum has been canceled, because of that violation, we can not proceed,\u201d an organizer said in footage provided by Kessler.<\/p>\n

Audience members were instructed to leave, although the candidates continued answering previously submitted questions on camera without spectators present.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like it was viewpoint discrimination and against my First Amendment rights,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The League\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The Lucia Mar Unified School District clarified that it had no involvement in organizing the event or enforcing its rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sept. 21 candidate forum was not a school- or District-sponsored event,\u201d the district said, explaining that the League rented the school\u2019s facilities.<\/p>\n

The incident comes amid ongoing disagreements in California over transgender students participating in girls\u2019 sports and using school locker rooms.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s athletics rather than targeting individuals.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not against any individuals,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019re against this state policy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The controversy has renewed questions about free expression, viewpoint discrimination and whether political messages are being treated equally at public forums.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A California women\u2019s sports advocate says an audience was forced to leave a school board candidate forum after organizers objected to her \u201cSave Girls’ Sports\u201d T-shirt, which they allegedly described as an \u201canti-trans hateful message.\u201d Shannon Kessler, a Republican candidate for California\u2019s 30th Assembly District and founder of Save Girls’ Sports Central Coast, says the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":33089,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAttendees Kicked Out of California School Board Forum Over \u2018Save Girls Sports\u2019 Shirt<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A California school board candidate forum clears attendees after a 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