California Student Testifies Against Trans Athletes in Girls' Locker Rooms

At a Lucia Mar Unified School District board meeting in California, high school junior and track athlete Celeste Diest gave an emotional testimony recounting her experience of being watched by a trans-identifying biological male while changing in the girls' locker room. Diest described the incident as 'beyond traumatizing' and argued that her privacy, along with that of other female students, was violated. She emphasized that the transgender student was already changed and questioned the necessity of his presence in the locker room, expressing frustration that the comfort and safety of female students were being disregarded. Members of the school board, particularly president Colleen Martin, appeared unsympathetic, with Martin telling Diest to 'please wrap it up' during her testimony and later attempting to silence supportive applause from the audience. The incident has intensified debate around the participation of transgender athletes in school sports and access to gendered facilities, drawing both significant community support for Diest and criticism of the board's handling of her concerns.