California Mom Strips to Bikini in School Board Protest
At a school board meeting in Davis, California, Beth Bourne stunned the room by stripping down to a bikini during her public comment to protest the district's transgender locker room policy. As chair of Moms for Liberty in Yolo County, Bourne's bold move was meant to show the "vulnerability" students face when locker rooms are open to transgender peers. The spectacle forced the board to call recess twice before the meeting finally resumed.
A Protest That Stopped the Meeting
Bourne took the mic at the Davis Joint Unified School Board meeting in September, targeting policies at Emerson, Holmes, and Harper junior high schools. These schools require students to undress for PE, and Bourne wanted the board to see exactly what that looks like. Without warning, she peeled off her clothes to reveal a bikini underneath. "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," she said before stripping, as reported by Fox News.
She slammed the district's rule letting students pick bathrooms and locker rooms based on gender identity. According to the New York Post, Bourne said children were "self-identifying into different bathrooms just based off of their-" but board members cut her off and ordered her to stop. Bourne fired back, claiming her First Amendment rights were under attack. Vice President Hiram Jackson then called a recess.
Chaos and Recesses
After a short break, the meeting resumed, and Bourne was allowed to finish. She did not waste time stripping again, prompting a second recess that lasted over 30 minutes. The board then moved on, but not before police were called. Trustee Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald called the behavior "very inappropriate" and said the superintendent would consult legal counsel on how to handle such disruptions going forward, as reported by Fox News.
The room buzzed with shock. According to The U.S. Sun, one board member exclaimed, "No, you cannot..." as Bourne peeled off her shirt to reveal the bikini top. Bourne stood her ground. She insisted she was wearing a bathing suit and that her protest was allowed. The disruption rattled the board and attendees, forcing two recesses.
The Point Behind the Protest
Bourne told CBS News she has been showing up monthly for three years to challenge the locker room policy, as reported by Fox News. Stripping was apparently her last-ditch effort to drive the point home. She said she wanted to give the board a visual of what it really looks like to change and what it would feel like to have somebody of the opposite sex watching.
She questioned how the district expects girls to feel comfortable undressing with transgender students present. "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?" Bourne asked, as reported by the New York Post.
Board Weighs Next Moves
The school board has not announced any specific actions but is reviewing the incident. According to Fox News, Escamilla-Greenwald stressed the importance of order during meetings and said the chairperson can pause sessions and ask disruptive people to leave. She said the board is consulting legal experts to figure out how to handle future disruptions.
Bourne was escorted out by police and cited for "disturbing the peace," as reported by The U.S. Sun. She claims her First Amendment rights were violated and is now consulting an attorney.
A Sign of the Times
Bourne's dramatic protest fits into a broader trend of heightened parental activism at school board meetings across the country. Parents and advocacy groups are increasingly using bold tactics to spotlight contentious issues like transgender rights in schools. This pattern reflects growing community engagement and debate over school policies, as reported by various media outlets covering similar events nationwide.
Community Divided
The Davis community remains split on transgender-inclusive policies. Supporters argue these policies protect students' rights and safety, while opponents, like Bourne, raise concerns about privacy and comfort, especially in vulnerable moments like changing clothes. This division mirrors ongoing national conversations about how schools balance inclusivity with privacy concerns.
How the board handles this protest's fallout could shape future debates and policies. As Escamilla-Greenwald said, the board is actively figuring out how to balance free speech with order.
For now, the image of a 50-year-old woman stripping to a bikini in a school board meeting stands as a vivid symbol of the culture wars playing out in towns across America.
References: California mom strips to bikini at school board meeting over locker room policy | Woman disrobes at California school board meeting in protest of locker room policies | Shocking moment mum STRIPS during school board meeting to protest transgender locker rooms policy
