The attendees of the April 2025 Chino Valley Unified School District Board of Education meeting segregated themselves to opposite sides of the large meeting room: Those opposed to transgender athletes sat on the right, and those in favor on the left. Both sides were made up of a diverse set of ethnicities and ages, but each donned a different kind of uniform. On the left, rainbow flags and signs declaring “Trans Lives Matter.” On the right, navy blue T-shirts with white and pink lettering that read “Save Girls Sports.”
Three items on the agenda of the meeting had drawn the crowd that evening:
- A proposal to file a formal complaint to the U.S. Department of Education about transgender athletes competing in California school sports;
- A proposal to file a complaint to the Department of Education against California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Education for allowing trans athletes in schools;
- A proposal to back a resolution extending support for an interpretation of Title IX that bans transgender women from sports. Title IX is a federal law aimed at preventing gender discrimination in education.
