Tensions brew over trans athletes at Riverside high school, as conservative protests grow

The debate over the rights of transgender athletes to compete in school sports intensified this week in the Inland Empire, as two Republican lawmakers called for the resignation of the Riverside Unified School District superintendent while LGBTQ+ advocates pleaded with the school board to “protect trans kids.” During a packed five-hour meeting with crowds overflowing outside of the Riverside Adult School on Thursday night, speakers wearing “Save Girls Sports” T-shirts expressed outrage about transgender girls on sports teams and in locker rooms. A woman sporting a “Save Girls Sports” T-shirt addresses the Riverside Unified School District board. In a statement, the Riverside Unified School District said it is “committed to ensuring that each student in our schools is safe and that students exercising their 1st Amendment rights, within the existing limits, will be allowed to do so.” “At our district, we uphold students’ rights to free speech at school and encourage them to express their perspectives in a respectful and meaningful way, however, at the same time, we recognize that there are some limits to free speech in schools, including speech that constitutes a true threat, causes a material disruption to the learning environment, or infringes on the rights of other students,” the district said. And they’re taking that away from them by allowing trans students who have biological advantages.” A transgender athlete supporter holds up a sign as Tori Hitchcock, center, of Young Women for America shows off her “Save Girls Sports” shirt outside the Riverside Unified School District meeting.