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This North Carolina sheriff compared transgender kids to lice infestation

This North Carolina sheriff compared transgender kids to lice infestation
Photo: Triangle Family Services
The sheriff of Wake County, N.C. is reconsidering the dedicated assignment of his police officers to protect school children and teachers, as a result of a standoff with school administrators, who he accuses of not adequately defining the district’s policy on transgender children.

“I’m thinking about pulling my school resource officers out of those schools,” Sheriff Donnie Harrison told reporter from WRAL-TV last week. “If we can’t have a better relationship, if they can’t work with us, I don’t know how we can work with them.”

And in defending his position to a Raleigh-Durham news website, the sheriff implied in an email that the policy regarding infectious diseases, such as head lice, should be applied to transgender students. He denied reports that his stance has anything to do with North Carolina’s anti-LGBTQ legislation, House Bill 2, which restricts trans individuals from using any public bathrooms except the ones that corresponds with the birth listed on their birth certificates.

According to the publication, Indyweek, Harrison is upset that whatever policy does exist is not consistent across the Wake County school system. WRAL reports the sheriff was outraged that one principal allowed a transgender girl to use the girls’ bathroom, although his soundbite makes it clear he doesn’t understand what it means to be a transgender girl, since he misgendered the student in question. “She had allowed this person, male that is transgender, going to be a female, to go in there as long as he did not take off his underwear,” Harrison told the reporter.

In an email to Indyweek, Harrison said his stance on school resource officers (SRO’s) has “nothing to do with HB 2 or any other bill” and compared how the school system addresses trans kids to its policy on lice:

donnieharrison
Wake County Sheriff

The concern I have is the parents of ‘ALL’ the students and SRO’s should know the policies of the school and school board. Then the parent has a say whether they want their child in the dress out room or not with a transgender student. If my SRO’s know then there is no confusion. The school sends out messages if a child has head lice so parents can make their own decisions as to what to do with the child, so why not allow them to make the decision on whether their child should be in the dress out room or as well.”

Harrison’s full email is below:

donnie_harrison_email
Indyweek
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