For Second Day, Demonstrators Gather Outside High School Over Gender-Neutral Bathroom

SOUTH LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — For the second day in a row, demonstrators protested outside Santee High School in South Los Angeles over that school's new gender-neutral bathroom.

Unlike Tuesday, however, the protesters Wednesday were there to support the restroom and the students who lobbied for it.

Santee High last week became the LAUSD's first school to offer students a gender-neutral bathroom. It might be the first in the state. Santee's Gay and Straight Student Alliance lobbied adamantly for the change.

Security was beefed up outside the school Wednesday after a brief clash between people protesting the bathroom and students Tuesday.

Four protesters objected to the bathroom; some carried signs too graphic for television.

"Some students started throwing some stuff at the protesters," said one student. "But they kept provoking us."

"They said we're going to burn in hell," said another, "that it's not right, that we weren't born this way."

At one point today, the crowd numbered about 200 in favor.

Speaker after speaker talked about supporting the students 100 percent. And they said that what happened Tuesday will never be tolerated again.

The LAPD and the school's police made sure there wasn't a repeat of Tuesday's skirmish.

The area was blocked off. CBS2/KCAL9's Dave Lopez said that at one point, about two blocks away someone tried to cut through the police line. The man was told to go away and when he refused, police said they handcuffed and arrested him.

Police would not tell Lopez if the man was one of the people protesting Tuesday.