A California Assembly candidate says a school board candidate forum was canceled and the audience was asked to leave after organizers objected to her "Save Girls Sports" shirt.
Shannon Kessler, a Republican candidate for California's 30th Assembly District and founder of Save Girls Sports Central Coast, stated that she was instructed to cover her shirt on September 21 at a forum for Lucia Mar Unified School District trustee candidates in Arroyo Grande. The shirt also bore her name and Assembly campaign information on the back.
Kessler told OutKick that she initially offered to cover the campaign information on the back of the shirt before agreeing to conceal the front as well. She said she argued that the slogan pertained to her advocacy against transgender athletes competing in girls' sports and was not solely a campaign slogan.
Footage provided by Kessler shows a forum host announcing a "violation" and stating, "From this point on, this forum has been cancelled, because of that violation, we cannot proceed." The host explained that the violation was "that there are not to be any slogans, no campaign slogans in the forum, we cannot continue."
The forum continued without an audience, with participants answering questions on camera. The event took place at Arroyo Grande High School.
Kessler alleges that organizers enforced the rules inconsistently, stating that another attendee wearing a "Trans kids belong" shirt and individuals displaying other candidates' campaign information were not asked to cover their attire. She asserted that she has no issue with others expressing their messages.
The League of Women Voters of San Luis Obispo County, which hosted the forum with the American Association of University Women’s 5 Cities Pismo Beach Branch, has published rules prohibiting campaign signs, banners, buttons, clothing, and literature inside the forum room. The rules also state that organizers can refuse entry to attendees wearing clothing deemed political or disruptive.
Kessler stated that companions wearing "Save Girls Sports" shirts were also instructed to cover them or turn them inside out, and that organizers threatened to call the police if they did not comply. Arroyo Grande police records indicate a disturbance-of-the-peace call at the high school's address on the evening of September 21, though the log does not detail the nature of the dispute or any actions taken by officers. Kessler said police did not enter the venue to remove her.
Kessler ultimately covered the shirt with a borrowed jacket and had campaign materials removed after a school board vice president raised an objection. She said she agreed to cover the shirt, but the forum was still canceled.
She described the incident as discriminatory and a violation of her First Amendment rights.
The Lucia Mar School District clarified that the forum was not a school- or District-sponsored event. The District stated that the League of Women Voters rented the high school facilities and that neither the school nor the District had any role in planning, conducting, establishing rules, or making decisions regarding the audience. The District directed further questions to the event organizers.
Kessler has previously advocated before the Lucia Mar board for restrictions based on biological sex. Her organization, Save Girls Sports Central Coast, was founded in March 2025, prior to her Assembly campaign launch. In May 2025, the board voted against placing a resolution supporting Title IX and fairness in girls' sports on a future agenda, with the superintendent noting it would commit the district to advocacy rather than policy changes. Kessler stated her advocacy extends beyond the election, and she intends to continue addressing school officials on the issue, emphasizing that her stance is against state policy, not individuals.