Two parents in Maryland are suing Anne Arundel County Public Schools over the school system’s policies affirming the gender identity of transgender students.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, was brought by the conservative, anti-LGBTQ legal organization America First Legal on behalf of John and Jane Doe. It accuses staff members at an unidentified county high school of lying to the Does about their child, Mary Doe, and her gender identity.
The Does allege that the school “socially transitioned” Mary by using a masculine name and male pronouns without informing them or obtaining their consent. They are asking school officials to use Mary’s given name and female pronouns and a federal judge to declare the district’s transgender-affirming policies illegal.
The lawsuit alleges that school staff began using a masculine name and male pronouns for the Does’ child at the child’s request. The Does say they were unaware of the change until last December, when a school staff member used the male name in an email to the parents about a lab experiment taking place the following day.
The staff member reportedly tried to unsend the email and then told the parents it had not been intended for them. The next day, the staff member allegedly “admitted to lying in the emails” and told the Does that the school was complying with their child’s request to be referred to as male.
The Does claim they told school officials to begin using Mary’s legal name, but the officials refused. According to the lawsuit, the principal told the parents that school staff are trained to refer to students by their “preferred names and pronouns in the school setting.”
The district’s official policy states that every student “has the right to be addressed by a name and pronoun that correspond to the student’s gender identity.” Parents are not required to submit a court order showing that the student’s name or gender has been legally changed, and using a different name or pronouns does not require a change to the student’s official school records.
However, the policy notes that in cases where the school is required to use a student’s legal name and legal gender, their school records may not be changed to reflect their gender identity.
The Does argue that the school district’s policy circumvents their parental rights by “socially transitioning” their child without their knowledge, in violation of their religious beliefs that “God creates each person as male or female, that sex is based on biology rather than internal self-perception, and that sex cannot be altered.” They also claim the policy violates their rights under federal and state law.
According to the Movement Advancement Project, seven states require teachers and school administrators to “out” transgender youth to their parents if the students request accommodations based on their gender identity. North Dakota and Alabama require teachers to disclose information about a student’s gender identity if their parents ask, while six other states require parental notification before approving a change to a student’s preferred name or pronouns.
Bob Mosier, a spokesperson for Anne Arundel County Public Schools, told The Baltimore Banner that officials are aware of the complaint but, as a matter of policy, do not comment on pending litigation.
Val Anias, vice chair of the Annapolis Pride board, told the newspaper that the organization supports school district policies that “recognize and respect students for who they are.” Those protections could disappear if the Does succeed in having the policies declared illegal.
“Creating respectful, inclusive school environments where students can safely express themselves helps foster belonging, well-being, and the opportunity for every child to learn and thrive,” Anias said in a statement.
New Hampshire Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte has vetoed, for the third time since taking office last year, a bill seeking to bar transgender people from bathrooms and other spaces that align with their gender identity.
The "bathroom bill" seeks to carve out exceptions to New Hampshire's 2018 Law Against Discrimination, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The measure was signed into law by former Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.
As reported by the New Hampshire Bulletin, the bill would allow business owners to bar transgender people from restrooms or locker rooms that align with their gender identity, permit female-designated sports teams to exclude transgender women from competition, and allow jails and prisons to assign housing based on a person's sex assigned at birth.
The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that state bans prohibiting transgender athletes from competing on girls' and women's sports teams in high school and college are constitutional and do not violate transgender athletes' right to equal protection under the law.
The 6-3 decision does not apply to intramural mixed-gender sports teams, such as voluntary adult leagues that do not receive federal funding.
The nation's highest court found that Title IX -- the federal law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in educational settings -- allows schools to maintain separate women's and men's sports teams based on biological sex due to the inherent physical differences between biological men and biological women.
A transgender advocacy group has created a crowdsourced map of trans-friendly bathrooms in Idaho to help residents find facilities they can use safely.
State lawmakers recently passed a law prohibiting people from entering bathrooms that don't align with their assigned sex at birth. The law, which took effect earlier this month, applies to government-owned buildings and private businesses open to the public, including gas stations, restaurants, entertainment venues, and hospitals.
A first violation of the law -- which opponents have dubbed a "bathroom ban" -- is punishable by up to one year in prison. A second or third violation could carry up to five years, or potentially life in prison if prosecutors invoke the state's "persistent violator" statute.
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