Activists Strip in Public to Protest Transgender Athletes in Women's Sports

Protesting transgender athletes being allowed in locker rooms, activists in Maine and California stun onlookers by stripping off clothes

Activists in Maine and California recently stripped to their underwear to protest trans athletes undressing in high school locker rooms. / Joseph Schwartzburt / Savannah Morning News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

If Nick Blanchard was looking to attract attention, he got it.

Three activists stripped to their underwear during an Augusta, Maine school board meeting last week to protest a policy allowing transgender girls to compete in women’s sports, drawing more national attention to the hot-button topic.

The demonstration was organized by Blanchard, a local activist who goes by the nickname “Corn Pop.” Two women and one man took part, slowly removing their clothing at the close of the Augusta School Department meeting as Blanchard delivered an impassioned monologue.

“I’m about to show you guys how uncomfortable it is for girls,” Blanchard said, according to video that has gone viral from the board meeting.

“You feel uncomfortable? Because that’s what these young girls feel like when a boy walks into their locker room and starts undressing in front of them. That’s what these young girls feel like every time a young boy changes in front of them.”

Board members had mixed reactions. Some appeared outraged while others seemed unfazed. Following the viral protest, Blanchard told Central Maine that more than 150 people had contacted him in support of his stance on Title IX policy.

The Augusta school board voted in favor of its current policy, which follows the Maine Human Rights Act, allowing student-athletes to participate on teams that correspond with their gender identity.

Blanchard’s protest tied into broader national efforts supporting President Donald Trump’s February executive order aimed at keeping biological men out of women’s sports under Title IX. Blanchard wore a Trump hat while giving the impassioned speech.

Maine Protest Mirrors California Tactics

Similar demonstrations have occurred elsewhere. In California, Beth Bourne, chair of Moms for Liberty in Yolo County, stripped down to a bikini at a Davis Joint Unified School Board meeting on Sept. 18 to protest district policies allowing transgender students access to girls’ locker rooms.

“If the adults don’t feel comfortable watching someone, and I’m a 50-year-old woman, how can they expect girls to feel comfortable doing that in the locker room?” Bourne said.

Bourne, a parent who has attended monthly school board meetings for three years on the topic, was interrupted multiple times, prompting the board to call recesses and eventually involve police. She said drastic measures were necessary to make her point heard.

Science on Trans Athletes

Experts note that concerns about locker room comfort are distinct from competitive fairness.

Dr. Bradley Anawalt, an endocrinologist cited by PBS NewsHour, said most of what researchers know about transgender women and girls’ athletic performance comes from military studies, rather than large-scale sports data.

“There is limited direct evidence in competitive sports, so most conclusions are drawn from hormone studies and physical performance data collected in military contexts,” Anawalt said.

Research shows that testosterone suppression in transgender women reduces muscle mass and strength, but the extent to which it equalizes competition with cisgender athletes remains unclear, per the data Anawalt cited.

Activists Push for Attention

Activists say these demonstrations are part of broader efforts to influence school policies and attract attention.

Blanchard said the Maine protest was meant to get the national spotlight.

“The only way to get them to listen to us is to do something crazy and get in the national spotlight,” he said.

Bourne noted the necessity of dramatic measures to make adults notice the effects on girls’ comfort. Critics argue such stunts can inflame tensions and overshadow constructive policy dialogue.

According to the Movement Advancement Project, nearly 30 states either ban, or have partial bans on trans athletes participating in women's sports.

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