Woman says public was forced to leave California forum over her 'Save Girls Sports' shirt

A California womens sports advocate and candidate for office says organizers cleared the audience from a school board candidate forum after a dispute over her "Save Girls Sports" shirt.

Shannon Kessler, the Republican candidate for Californias 30th Assembly District and founder of Save Girls Sports Central Coast, told OutKick she was instructed to cover the shirt at a Sept. 21 forum for Lucia Mar Unified School District trustee candidates in Arroyo Grande.

The shirt also carried her name and Assembly campaign information on the back, Kessler acknowledged. She said she offered to cover that portion before eventually agreeing to conceal the front as well.

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The League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County hosted the forum with the American Association of University Womens 5 Cities Pismo Beach Branch. Footage shows the host of the forum announcing a "violation," before instructing everyone to leave.

"From this point on, this forum has been cancelled, because of that violation, we can not proceed," he said, as seen in footage provided by Kessler. "We will ask you to leave now, yes, due to the violation. The violation that there are not to be any slogans, no campaign slogans in the forum, we can not continue."

The candidate forum continued without an audience, with participants answering previously submitted written questions on camera. The event was held at Arroyo Grande High School, rather than being a regular school board meeting.

Kessler said the confrontation began when she entered wearing the shirt and was told its message violated the events rules.

"Its just a womens rights shirt," she said.

She said organizers suggested she turn the shirt inside out in a bathroom, but she initially refused. Kessler argued that the slogan reflected her advocacy against transgender athletes competing in girls sports and was not specific to her Assembly campaign.

Kessler said she then offered to borrow a jacket to cover the campaign information on the back.

"That wasnt good enough for them. They said I had to cover Save Girls Sports, that message," she said.

According to Kessler, a woman she described as a League leader then told her the front needed to be covered because it carried an "anti-trans hateful message."

"I cannot control how you perceive it, but I dont mean it that way," Kessler said she responded.

Kessler did not identify that organizer by name in the interview.

She also alleged that the rules were enforced differently against other attendees. Kessler said a person wearing a "Trans kids belong" shirt and attendees wearing other candidates campaign information were not asked to cover their clothing.

"I dont have a problem with him wearing that shirt," she said of the attendee displaying the transgender advocacy message. "Once again, I feel that he has the right to carry that message."

The Leagues published forum rules prohibit campaign signs, banners, buttons, clothing and literature inside the forum room. Its website allows campaign materials in a designated area outside the room and says organizers can refuse entry to attendees wearing clothing consider