Pro-trans athlete protesters chant 'Hail Satan!' at girls during California school board meeting

Fox News

18-04-2025

A school board meeting in California Thursday night included protesters chanting "Hail Satan!" in support of transgender athletes in girls sports.
The Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) board meeting in San Bernardino County featured opposing protesters delivering impassioned speeches on the issue, and many speeches cited biblical scripture. At one point, police escorted a woman who was there to oppose trans inclusion, citing the Bible.
Footage from the meeting shows several protesters there to support trans inclusion, chanting "Hail Satan!"
"Yes, public comments did include speakers saying, 'Hail Satan,'" the school district said in a statement.
CVUSD school board President Sonja Shaw condemned the protesters's chants.
"At last night's board meeting, we passed several pro-parent and pro-female athlete resolutions that provide measures that protect girls sports and uphold the fundamental rights of parents to raise and guide their children without government interference or radical agendas," Shaw told Fox News Digital.
"In response, a small but loud group of outside agitators descended on our meeting, screaming, cussing and even chanting phrases like 'Hail Satan' all in front of families and children.
"According to what was shared with me from their own social media posts, they tried to rally tons of outside groups to overwhelm our district, but what a complete embarrassment. That's all they got? A handful of angry, disruptive individuals trying to bully a community that's working to protect kids and ensure that education remains focused on learning, not divisive ideologies."
Shaw added that she received a death threat via email in the days leading up to the meeting in response to her stance opposing trans inclusion in girls sports.
"Just a few days before this meeting, I received a violent and graphic death threat in my email. This is the level of hatred and evil we're up against. But no threat, no mob and no political machine will scare me into silence," Shaw said.
Multiple parents who attended the meeting told Fox News Digital what they witnessed.
"What we witnessed was deeply unsettling — adults behaving in a sadistic and hateful way, all in the name of equality," said Christina Salazar, who's daughter Isabel's speech at the meeting was interrupted by the chants.
"There was even a teacher from my daughter's school who was interrupting the meeting yelling and said 'Hail Satan' as he walked out and flipped everyone off."
Fellow San Bernardino County mother Nichole Vicario claims some of the opposing protesters identify as "Satanists."
"I also witnessed extreme and inappropriate behavior from the opposing side. Some individuals shouted "Hail Satan," identified themselves as Satanists and used vulgar, aggressive language throughout the meeting, even with children present," Vicario said.
"Despite the chaos, the board remained composed and strong, clearly committed to protecting girls sports, not just for Chino Valley, but as a stand for girls across California and potentially the entire country."
The state has seen multiple chaotic occurrences at school board meetings in recent months related to debates over trans athlete inclusion.
During a Lucia Mar Unified School District (LMUSD) board meeting Wednesday, a high school junior track athlete at Arroyo Grande High School named Celeste Diest cried during a speech recounting her experience of having to change in front of a biological male trans athlete before practice while that athlete allegedly watched her undress. But her speech was interrupted when she was told to "wrap it up" by the board president.
After her speech, the audience erupted in a roaring applause, and the board president began slamming her gavel down to try and temper the growing applause, but the cheers only got louder after that.
In December, a Riverside Unified School District board meeting drew national attention and massive opposing protests outside the meeting. Multiple witnesses from the meeting previously told Fox News Digital pro-trans activists at the event were harassing the anti-trans protesters on the other side and disrupting a women's prayer group during a prayer circle prior to the meeting.
The prayer group, Young Women for America (YWA)'s Inland Empire chapter in California, alleged pro-transgender activists showered them with insults.
"Members of the pro-LGBTQ groups started heckling and harassing the people in line who were speaking in opposition of their values. Some of these adult protesters were even coming up to the young girls that were going to be speaking and were yelling at them close to their face," YWA Inland Empire Chapter President Tori Hitchcock alleged.
A new bipartisan survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found the majority of California residents oppose biological male trans athletes competing in women's sports.
That figure included more than 70% of the state's school parents.
"Most Californians support requiring transgender athletes to compete on teams matching the sex they were assigned at birth," the poll stated.
"Solid majorities of adults (65%) and likely voters (64%) support requiring that transgender athletes compete on teams that match the sex they were assigned at birth, not the gender they identify with. An overwhelming majority of public school parents (71%) support such a requirement."
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