Davis, CA — September 18, 2025 — Beth Bourne, a local women’s rights advocate and chair of the Yolo County chapter of Moms for Liberty, took her stand—literally—by stripping down to a bikini at a Davis Joint Unified School Board meeting to draw attention to controversial locker room policies.
“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—Emerson, Holmes, Harper Junior High,” Bourne stated during public comment. “Right now, we require our students to undress for PE class. So I’m just going to give you an idea what that looks like when I undress.”
Bourne then removed her outerwear, revealing a modest bikini, in front of stunned board members and attendees.
The protest was aimed squarely at district policies allowing students to self-identify their gender and use the locker rooms and restrooms corresponding to that identity—effectively allowing biological males who identify as female to enter girls’ spaces.
“So right now, this school district is saying that, depending on a child’s transgender identity, they can pick which bathroom they want,” Bourne continued. “We have children self-identifying into different bathrooms just based off of their—”
Her protest was quickly interrupted by board members, with Vice President Hiram Jackson calling for an abrupt recess. “I’ve got to finish my comments. You are violating my First Amendment right,” Bourne objected, as board members attempted to cut her off.
The meeting resumed after about five minutes, allowing Bourne to complete her public comment. She once again stripped down, prompting yet another recess—this time lasting more than 30 minutes. When the board reconvened, they moved on to other topics without addressing her protest directly.
Later, Bourne explained to CBS News why she took such a bold approach after years of being ignored.
“I have attended these board meetings every month for the past three years to address this issue,” she said. “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,” she added, unapologetically.
The message struck a nerve. The board’s reaction and Bourne’s actions have gone viral, sparking a renewed national conversation about parental rights, privacy in public schools, and the growing backlash against radical gender ideology in K-12 education.
Trustee Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald later told local outlet The Vanguard that police were called following the second recess and that the district is evaluating how to handle similar protests in the future.
“We are going to be meeting about this, about what to do in such situations,” Escamilla-Greenwald said. “Our superintendent is going to be speaking with counsel to see what can be done, because it’s very inappropriate for anybody to be coming before the board and behaving in such a manner.”
Critics argue that what’s truly inappropriate is the school district’s unwillingness to protect girls’ spaces from biological males. Bourne and other parents maintain that the board’s discomfort at her protest only proves their point: if watching an adult woman in a bikini is considered indecent, then forcing teenage girls to share intimate spaces with biological males is far worse.
Moms for Liberty, a national parental rights group often vilified by progressive media but celebrated by many conservative families, has been leading the charge in communities like Davis. Bourne’s demonstration is only the latest escalation in a larger grassroots battle over gender policies, school transparency, and protecting the innocence of children in public education.
With 2026 elections on the horizon, issues like these are expected to play a pivotal role at both the local and national level.
