A California high school has stopped punishing students for protesting the inclusion of a transgender athlete on the girls' cross-country team. This follows a student-led demonstration where hundreds of students wore "Save Girls' Sports" T-shirts, directly challenging the school's dress code.
Previously, students wearing these shirts faced detention. However, according to sources, the school did not enforce the dress code during Wednesday's protest. Parents informed California Family Council outreach director Sophia Lorey that school administrators instructed faculty not to discipline students for wearing the shirts. While an earlier email from Principal Leann Iacuone specified that only shirts with "XX=/XY" would be subject to the dress code, no students wearing any version of the protest shirt were disciplined on Wednesday.
The protest has spread to neighboring schools, including Arlington High School, Riverside Polytechnical High School, and Romona High School, where students have also begun wearing the shirts. This student movement coincides with an ongoing lawsuit filed by two female cross-country runners who allege that school officials compared their "Save Girls' Sports" shirts to swastikas.
The situation gained further national attention after student athlete Rylee Morrow spoke at a school board meeting, expressing concerns about sharing a locker room with a biological male. Lorey praised the students' resilience and advocacy for female athletes. She emphasized that the protest transcends athletics, representing a broader defense of the rights and integrity of female athletes.
Meanwhile, a trans athlete at the school reportedly posted on a private Instagram account, criticizing those opposed to transgender inclusion in girls' sports. The athlete allegedly expressed a desire to compete in girls' pole-vaulting and mentioned past disappointments competing against male opponents.
The Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) maintains that it is obligated to comply with California law, which allows students to participate in sports according to their gender identity. The RUSD suggests that those opposed to the law should address their concerns to state and federal lawmakers. California law protecting transgender athletes' participation in women's sports has been in place since 2014 with the enactment of AB 1266.
This incident is not isolated. Other instances of opposition to transgender athletes in girls' sports have occurred throughout California, including the Stone Ridge Christian High School girls' volleyball team forfeiting a match due to the presence of a trans athlete on the opposing team. A transgender volleyball player at Half Moon Bay High School was also reportedly booed and harassed during a match.
At the collegiate level, San Jose State University's volleyball team faced controversy and forfeited matches over the inclusion of a transgender athlete, highlighting the ongoing national debate on this issue.
