A Moms for Liberty activist stripped down to her bikini during a California school board meeting to protest a policy allowing transgender students to choose which bathrooms to use. Beth Bourne, chairwoman of the Yolo County chapter, removed her clothes at a Davis Joint Unified School District meeting on September 18.
Bourne, 55, is a regular at school board meetings where she argues against policies affecting transgender students. She has been an activist since the early 1990s and has worked for local governments in California. Moms for Liberty describes itself as a parental rights advocacy group, but the Southern Poverty Law Center labels it a far-right organization opposing LGBTQ+ inclusive policies.
During her comment period, Bourne said, “So Emerson, Holmes Harper Junior High... 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.” As she began disrobing, the board vice president called a recess. After a five-minute break, Bourne continued but again started removing her shirt, prompting a second recess.
Trustee Cecilia Escamilla-Greenwald said Bourne was escorted out by police. The board plans to discuss how to handle such incidents in the future. “It’s very inappropriate for anybody to be coming before the board and behaving in such a manner,” she said. In 2023, a Bourne-hosted event on trans athletes led to bomb threats at Davis schools.
