Parents sue over alleged inappropriate behavior in locker room
Transgender student accused of "twerking" and making lewd comments
Families in Virginia, Minn., are suing their local school district after a transgender student allegedly behaved inappropriately in the girls’ locker room, making lewd comments and “twerking” while other girls were changing. The parents are also suing the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice over guidance encouraging school districts to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms aligned with their gender identity. As reported in The Washington Times, Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys argue Virginia Public Schools changed its policy to allow the transgender student to use the women’s locker room because of the federal guidance and the threat of losing federal funding if they refused to comply.
According to the complaint, “Student X” allegedly danced to loud music with sexually explicit lyrics while grinding and lifting up her skirt to reveal her underwear. She reportedly asked one girl about her bra size and requested they “trade body parts.” Student X is said to have danced “like he (sic) was on a stripper pole” to songs like “Milkshake” by Kelis.
Some of the girls were reduced to tears, FOX News reports. The school told girls who felt uncomfortable to use a secondary locker room. Another plaintiff was told she could use a vacant boys basketball locker room for privacy. Student X reportedly followed her to that locker room and proceeded to remove her pants in front of other female students.
“School policies should promote the rights and safety of every student, but that’s not what Virginia Public Schools is doing — and it’s certainly not what the Departments of Education and Justice are doing,” senior ADF counsel Gary McCaleb said in a statement. “No child should be forced into an intimate setting, like a locker room, with someone of the opposite sex.”
ADF’s attorneys also argue that the Obama administration is misinterpreting Title IX’s prohibitions on sex discrimination in education to include transgender children, when the statute was intended to refer to biological sex only.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.