Claiming that transgender children are “unsafe” using school bathrooms of their sex assigned at birth, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia (ACLUVA) has filed a lawsuit against the Hanover County School Board.
“Today, the ACLU of Virginia filed a lawsuit in Hanover County Circuit Court against the Hanover County School Board on behalf of five families, due to the school board’s failure to adopt policies protecting transgender students in accordance with state law and the Virginia Department of Education’s model policies,” the group said in Thursday statement. “All plaintiffs have transgender children who attend public schools in Hanover County.”
In March of 2020, the Virginia General Assembly passed a law mandating that schools allow transgender students to use whichever bathroom they decide best matches their gender identity.
Many parents have objected to this practice, which allows biological boys into girls’ bathrooms. They say it makes their daughters unsafe. In one high-profile incident, teenage girl in Loudoun County was raped by a boy in a skirt. The school then covered up the incident, and allowed the boy to change schools, where he molested another girl.
After the coverup was revealed, it became national news. During the firestorm, ACLUVA tacitly defended the rapist, insisting that trans kids are not a threat.
TRANS KIDS ARE NOT A THREAT.
TRANS KIDS ARE NOT A THREAT.
TRANS KIDS ARE NOT A THREAT.
TRANS KIDS ARE NOT A THREAT.
TRANS KIDS ARE NOT A THREAT.
TRANS KIDS ARE NOT A THREAT.
TRANS KIDS ARE NOT A THREAT.
TRANS KIDS ARE NOT A THREAT.
TRANS KIDS ARE NOT A THREAT.— ACLU of Virginia (@ACLUVA) October 13, 2021
At the time, ACLUVA declined to comment on the Loudoun County scandal.
But parents of the transgender students say their children are the ones who are unsafe in having to use traditional bathrooms.
A mother for one of the transgender students who is party to ACLUVA’s lawsuit said her transgender boy, a biological female, faces bullying and discrimination.
“My 13-year-old son only wants to use the boys’ bathroom like the other boys,” Kelly Merrill said. “I’ve done everything I can to protect him from discrimination and bullying – including multiple emails to school administrators and even filing a Title IX complaint with the county – but I need the school district to do more. The lack of a clear, district-wide policy means that my son does everything he can to avoid using the restroom at all. These laws exist for a reason: to protect my son and so many others. He deserves to feel safe at school.”
ACLUVA did not immediately respond to a comment request.
Nor did members of the Hanover County School Board.
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Pete D’Abrosca is a contributor at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Follow Pete on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
