Protesters perform outside of anti-trans event at Cal Poly

People gathered Tuesday night on Cal Poly’s campus to protest a speaker who advocates for banning gender affirming care for minors. The event was sponsored by the Cal Poly chapter of Turning Point USA, a group that focuses on discussing conservative issues with students.

Sarina Grossi

The Cal Poly Drag Club held a dance party and drag performance at 6 p.m. outside the meeting. They called it “queer joy,” and said it was the perfect way to combat hateful messaging.

“Like, this is to show, like, joy and that we’re a community and that you’re in the minority, like love is in the majority,” Jaenine Santos, a drag artist and protester said.

The event in question was called “A Dad and A Detransitioner’s Take on the Transgender Movement" and featured speakers Chris Elston, known as Billboard Chris, and Chloe Cole.

Inside the lecture hall at 7:15 p.m., Cole, a conservative social media personality, discussed the trauma she experienced when she transitioned to male as a minor. She’s since gone back to identifying as a woman.

Sarina Grossi

Madison Pierce, the co-president of Turning Point USA’s Cal Poly chapter, said the organization’s goal is to promote conservative values and generate conversation.

“We always encourage protests, like peaceful protests and debate. You know, we always have, if you disagree, you go to the front of the line with Q&A sort of thing,” Pierce said.

Cole and Elston advocated for placing a measure on California’s ballot to ban gender affirming care for minors. Elston also said transgender children do not exist and that the protestors “have swallowed primarily three pieces of propaganda.”

Peace ambassadors accompanied the protest wearing high visibility vests and provided resources like first aid, masks to hide individuals identities, water, milk for tear gas and narcan. A team of police from Cal Poly and San Luis Obispo guarded a barricade at the entrance of the Turning Point USA event.

In addition to the Cal Poly Drag Club’s performance, local bands Suburban Dropout, Car Pool and Paperboats hosted a musical protest on Baker Lawn. Mackenzie Miranda, an organizer of the concert, said as a trans student, the talk made her feel vulnerable.

“I don’t feel safe on campus, and I already hadn’t prior to this event,” Miranda said. “But this event is making it so I feel even less safe.”

Sarina Grossi

Cal Poly’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as well as other campus-wide organizations released a statement prior to the event in solidarity with transgender and non-conforming students on campus.

The Cal Poly Pride Center offered processing sessions for transgender and non-gender conforming individuals and extended its hours Tuesday night, providing services as a retreat location.

Some Cal Poly faculty members asked school administrators to cancel the event with the open letter. As of Wednesday afternoon, they gathered more than 350 signatures on the letter, also calling to revoke Turning Point USA’s club status on campus.

Campus administrators said in a statement they don’t decide who speaks on campus.