The Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) in California held a board meeting on Thursday amid a heated controversy surrounding a transgender cross-country runner at Martin Luther King High School and students who were reprimanded for protesting the athlete’s participation.
The meeting was set to address allegations made in a lawsuit claiming that school administrators compared “Save Girls’ Sports” T-shirts to swastikas. The lawsuit, filed by parents of a student, argues that their daughter lost her varsity spot to a transgender athlete, and that her T-shirt expressing opposition to the athlete’s participation was unfairly compared to the symbol of the Nazi regime.
Outside the RUSD District Office, protesters gathered, both supporting and opposing the inclusion of transgender athletes in sports. Video footage provided by California Family Outreach Director Sophia Lorey showed a large group of pro-transgender activists waving transgender pride flags and wearing related colors. A smaller group was seen sporting the “Save Girls’ Sports” shirts, a statement against transgender inclusion in women’s sports.
Ryan Starks, father of a student named Taylor involved in the lawsuit, spoke at a press conference organized by the California Family Council and the religious rights law firm Advocates for Faith and Freedom. Starks expressed his heartbreak over his daughter’s experience, emphasizing that the situation was unfair and distressing for her. “It breaks my heart as a father to see my daughter go through this,” he said.
Taylor’s attorney, Julianne Fleischer, condemned the comparison made by administrators between the T-shirt slogan and a swastika, calling it “incredibly dangerous” rhetoric. Fleischer emphasized the importance of promoting equality, fairness, and common sense, stating that such comparisons trivialize the atrocities represented by the swastika.
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Hundreds of students at Martin Luther King High School began wearing the “Save Girls’ Sports” shirts every Wednesday in protest. The school initially responded by enforcing a dress code, sending students to detention, but the protests continued as students wore the shirts despite the consequences. The school later stopped enforcing the dress code for these shirts.
Students at nearby schools, including Arlington High School, Riverside Polytechnical High School, and Ramona High School, also participated in wearing the shirts.
In a statement, RUSD said it was required to allow the transgender athlete to compete, citing California state law that mandates students participate in school activities, including sports, based on their gender identity. The district emphasized that opposition and protests should be directed at those in positions to affect these laws, including lawmakers in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.
Since 2014, California law has protected transgender athletes in women’s sports through AB 1266, ensuring that students can participate in activities according to their gender identity, regardless of what is listed on their official records.
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