Local California women’s rights advocate Beth Bourne staged a dramatic protest at a Davis Joint Unified School District board meeting on Sept. 18 by stripping down to a bikini to voice her opposition to district policies that allow transgender students to choose which locker rooms they use.
Bourne, who chairs the Moms for Liberty chapter in Yolo County, addressed the board during the public comment portion of the meeting. “I’m a parent in the Davis Unified School District, and I’m here today to talk about the policies you have for the locker rooms in the junior high schools,” she said, naming Emerson, Holmes, and Harper Junior High. To illustrate her concerns, she removed her outer clothing to reveal a bikini.
She argued that students are required to change for PE and that girls may feel uncomfortable if biological males are granted access to the same facilities. “Right now, this school district is saying that, depending on a child’s transgender identity, they can pick which bathroom they want,” Bourne said before board members interrupted her.
When officials attempted to stop her, Bourne insisted on continuing, claiming her First Amendment rights were being violated. School board vice president Hiram Jackson then called for a recess.
After about five minutes, the meeting resumed and Bourne was allowed to continue her remarks. She again began stripping down to a bikini, prompting the board to call another recess. The meeting resumed more than 30 minutes later and moved on to other business.
In an interview the following day with CBS News, Bourne explained her reasoning: “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? I thought I made a really good point.”
Trustee Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald later told The Vanguard that police were called after the second recess and that the district is evaluating how to handle such disruptions. “It’s very inappropriate for anybody to be coming before the board and behaving in such a manner,” she said, noting that the superintendent will consult with legal counsel about next steps.
Fox News Digital has reached out to both Bourne and the Davis Joint Unified School Board for comment.