A meeting of the California State University Board of Trustees erupted into a heated clash Tuesday as speakers traded insults and emotional appeals over transgender athletes, Title IX, and the university system’s decision to sue the Trump administration.

The confrontation unfolded as the board discussed a high-profile legal battle involving San José State University and the federal government.

Last week, CSU and San José State University filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education after officials accused the school of violating Title IX by allowing a transgender volleyball player to compete in women’s athletics between 2022 and 2024.

Title IX is the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational programs that receive federal funding.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon responded swiftly to the lawsuit, sending a letter giving the universities 10 days to reverse course or risk losing federal funding and being referred to the Department of Justice.

As trustees debated the issue, members of the public lined up to voice sharply opposing views — and the atmosphere quickly grew tense.

Jamie O’Quinn, an assistant professor of sociology at Cal State San Bernardino, delivered one of the most fiery speeches of the day.

“The fact that I have to get up here and have to say that trans women are women and that’s what I have to use my time to do is absurd,” O’Quinn said.

“Shame on you. Shame on all of you.”

She also criticized lesbian activists who have supported keeping transgender women out of women’s sports.

“Shame on you for using lesbian politics as a front for your transphobia,” she said. “Because this lesbian has had plenty of girlfriends with penises.”

The remark drew murmurs and visible reactions from members of the audience.

Attempts by the meeting chair to keep speakers focused on addressing the board were largely ignored as participants increasingly directed their comments toward one another.

Beth Bourne, a prominent activist with the “Save Women’s Sports” movement, took a very different stance.

Speaking directly to transgender people who might be listening, Bourne warned that medical transition could be harmful.

“You’ve been lied to,” she said. “They’re making money off your body.”

“If you’re taking cross-sex hormones, you’re harming yourself. You’re permanently harming yourself,” she continued.

Bourne also told transgender individuals that their families cared about them.

“Just remember, your mother and your father love you more than anyone in the world,” she said.

Other speakers criticized the university system for filing the lawsuit against the federal government.

One San José State alumnus said he was disappointed in the university’s stance.

“I’m so disappointed that Cal State is no longer welcome to women,” he said.

“I’m here to support Title IX and state a basic truth: Males cannot become females. Everyone understands this in sports.”

But current students also spoke passionately in defense of transgender inclusion.

One San José State student, who identified as transgender, urged trustees to continue supporting transgender students.

“Our community has been angry, scared, and tired,” the student said.

“As a transgender student who is in his third year at SJSU, I’m asking you, please listen to us, and please keep protecting transgender students.”

Alison Foote, treasurer of the Independent Council on Women’s Sports, also criticized the lawsuit, calling it “an embarrassment to the entire CSU system.”

“This is CSU-sanctioned sexual abuse of the women you are obligated to protect,” she said.

She argued that policies prioritizing gender identity over biological sex were creating what she described as a hostile environment for women across the system’s campuses.

San José State University President Cynthia Teniente-Matson defended the decision to sue the federal government.

“This is not a step we take lightly,” she told Fox News Digital.

“We have a responsibility to defend the integrity of our institution and the rule of law while ensuring that every member of our community is treated fairly and in accordance with the law.”

Teniente-Matson said the university believed it had complied with existing legal requirements.

“Our position is simple: We have followed the law and cannot be punished for doing so,” she said.

She also emphasized the university’s commitment to supporting LGBTQ students amid what she described as years of threats and tensions surrounding the issue.

“Our support for the LGBTQ members of our community… remains unwavering,” she said.

With federal funding potentially on the line and emotions running high, the dispute now appears likely to escalate further in the courts — and in the public arena.