EXCLUSIVEThe sobbing teen, high school trans athletes and the brewing war between California and the White House READ MORE: Fury as school official shuts down sobbing girl over trans scare By JAMES REINL Published: 15:12 BST, 29 April 2025 | Updated: 15:13 BST, 29 April 2025 A high school athlete's emotive speech about her 'traumatizing' locker room incident with a trans student has set the stage for a political battle between California and the Trump administration, campaigners told the Daily Mail. Footage of Celeste Diest addressing a school board meeting in Arroyo Grande, California, was shared widely by social media users this month, who slammed the official who shut her down and ignored her cries for help. The 17-year-old track athlete took the podium to complain against the participation of trans athletes in sports and of a 'biological male' who watched her change for track practice in the girls' locker room. Many viewers were gobsmacked and angered by the response of school board president Colleen Martin, who chaired the meeting, when she told the sobbing 17-year-old to 'please wrap it up.' Now, the campaigner who supported Diest at that meeting says the incident has put California and its support for trans athletes in a national spotlight — and in the crosshairs of the Trump administration. Shannon Kessler, the founder of Save Girls Sports Central Coast, says Diest's treatment highlights how California's progressive pro-trans rules undermine women's rights and are out of step with the White House. The Trump administration last week sued Maine for not complying with the government's push to ban transgender athletes in girls and women's sports, and Kessler says California faces a comparable pushback. 'We have a battle between our state government and our federal government,' Kessler, a realtor, told the Daily Mail. Celeste Diest, a high school junior at Lucia Mar Unified School District, lit a fire under California's trans athletics debate when she addressed a board meeting Polling shows that Americans overwhelmingly want biological males out of women's sports 'The Trump administration is focussing on Maine now … and it's California next.' Kessler says she had nothing against the boy-to-girl transitioner — but that girls' locker rooms and sports teams should be preserved for biological females as a matter of fairness and decency. Diest says she was knocked into second place by the trans teen in a race last year. Blue state's stunning act of defiance against Trump policy Kessler says the female athletes not only lose out on medals and podium spots, but biological male athletes also deny them a shot at the college scholarships that are doled out to winners. 'If you have male genitalia, you have no business being in the girls' locker room and bathroom and competing against them in sports, because that's deeply unfair,' says Kessler. She says gender identity politics has taken a toll on Arroyo Grande High School, which has roughly 2,000 students and 100 staff. Biological males, straight and trans, frequently enter the girls bathrooms at the public school, as traditional notions of sex and identity break down. Trans activists say trans people should be able to compete on sports teams and use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity — not their biological sex. California is among the states that allow trans athletes to compete. The State Assembly passed a bill in 2013 that prevented educators from discriminating based on sex. The bill also says students 'shall be permitted to participate in … athletic teams and competitions, and use facilities consistent with his or her gender identity, irrespective of the gender listed on the pupil's records.' California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom courted controversy by saying trans athletes were 'deeply unfair' to biological females in a sit-down with conservative Charlie Kirk Shannon Kessler, the founder of Save Girls Sports Central Coast, supported Celeste Diest at the school board meeting Diest addressed the Lucia Mar Unified School District board on April 15 in her coastal California town of Arroyo Grande, about an hour-and-a-half North of Santa Barbara, and described her experience in the locker room. She spoke about a trans male-to-female students who also competes in girls' sports competitions who entered the girls' locker room and stood and watched her as she changed for a track meeting. 'Adults like yourself make me and my peers feel like our own comfort was invalid, even though our privacy was and still is completely violated,' said Diest. 'We cannot sit around and allow our rights to be given up to cater to an individual that is a man, who watches women undress and is stripping away female opportunity that once was fought for us.' The recording of the three-hour meeting on YouTube quickly received tens of thousands of views and clips of the incident went viral on social media, generating fierce reactions and tense debate online. One account that shared the clip on X already has over 40 comments, with one reading, 'Courageous girl! These moments will be remembered!!!' 'Students deserve to feel safe and protected at school, especially in private spaces like locker rooms,' another added. But those rules are out of step with public opinion, which wants biological males kept off womens' and girls' sports teams. Trump surrounded himself with female athletes and activists for an executive order signing in January, barring trans participation in women's sports President Donald Trump was elected last year on a platform of supporting women and girls who want biological males out of their bathrooms and sports teams. He signed a slew of executive orders implementing a rigid definition of sex and gender upon taking office in January. School board president Colleen Martin asked Diest to 'please wrap it up' as the teen broke down in tears California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom recently courted the ire of progressives by declaring that allowing trans athletes to participate in sports is 'deeply unfair' on biological females. Attorney General Pam Bondi has suggested that states that don't comply with the Trump administration could be sued, including California, Minnesota, and Maine. The Trump administration last week sued Maine for not banning transgender athletes in girls and women's sports, saying the state is violating the federal Title IX antidiscrimination law. Governor Janet Mills has remained defiant against the Trump administration, recently releasing a statement claiming that the president doesn't have the authority to create or interpret law. The Illinois High School Association has also defied Trump's order to ban trans athletes from competing in female sports, saying it was at odds with the Illinois Human Rights Act. Transgender activists say that trans athletes should be allowed to compete on the teams that match their 'gender identity' The school board meeting took place in Arroyo Grande, California. California is one of the states that allows transgender athletes to participate in sports. The Trump administration has taken a hard line against the issue, threatening to sue schools that don't ban trans athletes Twenty-six states have laws or policies explicitly banning transgender athletes from competing in sports. At the collegiate level, the National Collegiate Athletic Association announced in February that it would be complying with the Trump administration and banning athletes 'assigned male at birth' from competing on women's teams. We reached out to the Lucia Mar Unified School District and the White House for comment. CaliforniaMaine Share or comment on this article: The sobbing teen, high school trans athletes and the brewing war between California and the White House Add comment