In April of last year, Hilary Norcross was walking her family dog through the Arroyo Grande Village when a flyer on the front door of Harvest Church caught her eye.
The flyer advertised a movie night showing a detransitioning documentary produced by Turning Point USA and the Daily Wire, followed by a discussion on what was “going on in [the] community,” her husband Trevor Norcross recalled. Curious, he decided to attend—not to participate, but to sit back and listen.
“During the movie night, they did not use my daughter’s name, but they identified her in a way that can only be her,” Trevor told New Times. “There’s an n-of-1 as an openly trans athlete at the high school. They were asking for adults and students to speak at school board meetings against trans athletes and bathrooms and all those issues.”
Trevor and Hilary’s daughter, Lily Norcross, is a junior at Arroyo Grande High School and a member of the school’s track and field team—she also happens to be transgender. Over the past year, she has become a focal point in a growing local debate over transgender students’ participation in sports and access to school facilities.
Across San Luis Obispo County, school districts are facing pressure from parents and community members to clarify local policies regarding transgender student athletes. Cases in Idaho and West Virginia banning trans girls from competing in women’s sports, combined with the U.S. Supreme Court’s temporary suspension of California’s law preventing schools from outing transgender students without their consent, have created uncertainty.
Lily came out to her parents just before starting high school, and since then, her family has worked closely with school administrators to ensure she can participate safely in athletics and daily school life.
‘The least interesting thing about her is her gender identity. She’s an amazing kid, super smart. You know, she does not want to be in this position but is also willing to fight for herself and the rest of her community.’
–Trevor Norcross, parent
“The least interesting thing about her is her gender identity,” Trevor said. “She’s an amazing kid, super smart. You know, she does not want to be in this position but is also willing to fight for herself and the rest of her community.”
While Lucia Mar Unified School District did not implement new policies last year after calls to ban transgender students from sports, Paso Robles Joint Unified School District (PRJUSD) has taken steps to openly discuss how Title IX—the federal law that protects students from sex-based discrimination—and California law apply to transgender students. On Feb. 24, PRJUSD Superintendent Jennifer Loftus guided the district through its first informational discussion on student rights and athletic participation, aiming to create clarity.
“Our board of trustees has really charged staff with really respecting and listening closely to our students and wanting to put their needs first,” Loftus said during the presentation. “We want all students to feel welcome.”
“With regard to Title IX, California state law specific to girls’ sports indicates that students are allowed to play on sport teams that match their gender identity,” Loftus explained.
She added that the law comes directly from the California Education Code passed in 2013-14, which states that students must be allowed to participate in school programs and athletics consistent with their gender identity—regardless of the gender listed on the child’s records.
“So, in simple terms, in California, if a student identifies as a girl, she can play on a girls’ team. And if a student identifies as a boy, he can play on a boys’ team,” she said. “Along with that, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF), which runs high school sports in California, they also follow the state law of California. So, per CIF, policy allows students to compete in athletics consistent with their gender identity. CIF has also said it will continue to follow California law even when there are federal disagreements.”
Loftus’ informational session came after a Jan. 13 board meeting where students, parents, and community members spoke about feeling uncomfortable with transgender students using girls’ restrooms, locker rooms, and participating on girls’ athletic teams at Paso Robles High School.
“No student should feel pressured to stay silent when their privacy and dignity are being compromised,” student Addison Long told trustees, describing her experience as a cisgender girls tennis player sharing a locker room with a transgender teammate.
During the Feb. 24 presentation, Loftus explained that the district will add three to four private changing stalls to the girls’ locker room by the end of spring break, with more to be added this summer in areas currently occupied by showers.
“We’ve heard a lot from our students about their need for additional privacy in the locker rooms,” she said. “Specifically, trustee [Kenney] Enney has requested that staff look into locker room trailers. … We do find this particular option problematic.”
Loftus emphasized that transgender students cannot be required to use private stalls and that portable locker room trailers will not be considered. She added that the district maintains staff supervision during locker room transitions and offers 12 gender-neutral restrooms across campuses.
New Times reached out to Enney but did not receive a response before publication.
“When Superintendent Loftus in Paso Robles gave that presentation, it was phenomenal. It was like—every school district should be doing that,” Trevor told New Times on March 6. “I made comment Tuesday night at Lucia Mar for the superintendent and the school board and staff to watch that presentation and share that information. … What was amazing is, one of the moms on the other side got up after me and agreed that that Paso Robles presentation was incredibly helpful. But she still didn’t understand that Lucia Mar had all those things in place as well.”
Just days after Loftus’ presentation, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a lower court decision to take effect that blocks California’s ban on schools outing transgender students to their parents without the students’ consent. The March 2 ruling came after parents in San Diego County challenged the state policy, arguing it violated their religious beliefs and parental rights.
“What the Supreme Court did is disappointing. Because it puts these kids in jeopardy,” Gala Pride and Diversity Center Board President Aja Myers told New Times. “Schools are not out there recruiting kids to be queer or trans; that is just unbelievably a false narrative. … They can’t even get them to do their homework. They’re gonna get them to reassign gender? Let’s take on the harder task.”
Superintendent Loftus told New Times in an email that the district is aware of the ruling and “will review its policies and regulations to determine if any need to be updated to align to the recent Supreme Court ruling.”
She added that the district is in the process of providing staff with training on the implications of the ruling. ∆
Reach Staff Writer Chloë Hodge at chodge@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in March 12-19, 2026.
Wish this article was more neutral in offering both sides of the story.
There’s 0 mention of the biological female girls who feel unsafe and unheard, with the exception at the very beginning. But their story is not represents or heard here except that it is a “problem”
If you want every student to feel safe… you cannot ignore these girls lived experiences. If it wasn’t an actual issue this wouldn’t be happening.
But clearly one persons safety is being viewed as paramount over many others.
Please try to include EVERYONE’s points of view because they are all important.
Lilly is a dude.