Trans student sues after school punishes her for using the correct bathroom

A transgender female student in Missouri is suing her school district for discrimination after school officials allegedly punished her for using the girls’ bathroom.

The lawsuit, filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on Monday, states that the student — identified as R.F. — is a Platte County High School freshman who began transitioning in 2019 after receiving a medical diagnosis of gender dysphoria and a prescription for hormone replacement therapy.

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An assistant principal allegedly told R.F. that she had to use either the restroom matching the gender she was assigned at birth or a single-stall gender-neutral restroom at the school, KCTV reported.

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R.F. disliked using the single-stall gender-neutral restroom because “there was often a line as it was used by all students and risk missing or being late to class,” the ACLU wrote.

She allegedly received verbal warnings and two detentions when she continued to use the girls’ bathroom. Eventually, the school punished her with an out-of-school suspension. When she returned from her suspension and used the boys’ bathroom as school officials demanded, a male student allegedly threatened to rape her.

As a result, R.F. began to experience anxiety and depression, feeling afraid to return to school for fear of further harassment. She completed the last several months of her freshman year virtually.

The ACLU’s lawsuit states that the school district’s actions violated the Missouri Human Rights Act and the Equal Protection Clause of the Missouri Constitution, both of which prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity.

The school’s actions also violate Title IX guidelines issued by the administration of President Joe Biden, which require federally funded schools to no longer discriminate against trans students on the basis of sex and gender identity.

“Forcing transgender students to use the bathroom or locker room that matches their sex designated at birth is not only discrimination but dangerous and causes serious harm to Missouri’s youth,” ACLU of Missouri deputy director Gillian Wilcox wrote in a statement. “Both through the constitution and by statute, the government, a school in this case, is prohibited from discriminating against the people it is supposed to protect on the basis of either their sex or disability.”

The ACLU has also filed a lawsuit against the state’s recently passed ban on gender-affirming care for transgender youth.