A California construction subcontractor, Dan Slavin, has found himself unexpectedly navigating a complex situation involving his daughter, Kaitlyn, and her high school cross-country team. The arrival of a transgender athlete has raised concerns among parents, including Slavin, about safety and locker room issues. He and other parents expressed their worries to the school but felt their concerns were not adequately addressed.
Slavin, a former high school athlete himself, values the lessons sports teach about teamwork and work ethic. However, the prospect of his daughter sharing facilities with a biological male caused him considerable anxiety. California law currently protects the inclusion of transgender athletes in girls' sports, requiring schools to comply. Governor Gavin Newsom has firmly defended these policies, even vetoing a bill that would mandate notifying families about the presence of transgender athletes on teams. He also recently signed the SAFETY Act, which prohibits teachers from informing students and parents about a transgender student's biological sex.
The situation escalated when Kaitlyn's teammate and co-captain lost her varsity position to the transgender athlete. In response, Kaitlyn, Taylor, and other teammates designed T-shirts with the slogan "Save Girls Sports" to express their stance. However, when they wore the shirts to school, administrators allegedly reprimanded them, comparing the shirts to swastikas, according to a lawsuit filed by the girls' families. The girls' attorney, Julianne Fleischer, described the school's rhetoric as "incredibly dangerous," highlighting the stark contrast between a message promoting equality in sports and the symbol of the Holocaust.
The incident sparked a student-led movement, with hundreds of students at Martin Luther King High School and surrounding schools donning the "Save Girls Sports" shirts every Wednesday. Initially, the school attempted to suppress the protest by enforcing a dress code and issuing detentions, but the students persisted. Eventually, the school ceased enforcing the dress code against the shirts.
Slavin expressed pride in his daughter's activism, although it has drawn criticism from transgender inclusion advocates online. He emphasized that the movement is not about attacking individuals but about advocating for common sense and fairness. He and other parents plan to voice their concerns at an upcoming school board meeting. Slavin indicated that if the issue remains unresolved, it could become a platform for political action in the 2026 California gubernatorial election.
