The protest at James L. Day Middle School, held Sept. 2 on the first day of school, included several dozen student as well as 20 adults. The protest was sparked by a male student allowed to use the girls’ locker room during P.E. because he identifies as female.
The middle school, located in Riverside County, is part of the Temecula Valley Unified School District.
Sophia Lorey, of California Family Council, was present at the walkout to support the students. She tells AFN the girls are suffering from an ideology that is being pushed on them.
“We shouldn't have to see girls having to undress, or be in a locker room or restrooms, with a male,” she says.
Even though the male student sparked the protest, the students and adults were also voicing frustration at the school board and a pro-trans policy. In a 3-2 vote, it defended a student’s “gender identity” and passed a policy stating any student who opposes the trans policy should request an accommodation based on religious beliefs or their mental health.
"Their daughter should not have to say that they have a mental health issue because they don't want to undress next to a male,” Lorey tells AFN. “That's actually normal. That's common sense.”
Regarding the religious accommodation, Lorey says every family religious or not should have the right to defend the privacy rights of their daughters.
“Even the families that are religious families,” she stresses, “don't believe you have to be Christian, Mormon, Muslim, whatever you are, to say I don't want to undress next to a male."
Two school board members who oppose the accommodation policy, Dr.Josephy Komrosky and Jen Wiersma, attended the walkout to show their support for the girls.
President Trump and his administration have taken a pro-female position at the U.S. Department of Education. That stance conflicts with California's liberal politicians and their pro-trans policy that is currently part of California law.
Riverside County, where the Temecula school district is located, is not a bright-red county politically but voters chose Donald Trump over Kamala Harris 49%-48% last November.
