Two Maryland parents are suing Anne Arundel County Public Schools over the school system’s policy affirming the gender identity of transgender students.
The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland by the conservative anti-LGBTQ legal group America First Legal on behalf of John Doe and Jane Doe. Unidentified county high school employees are accused of lying to faculty about the child, Mary Doe, and her gender identity.
Douze claims the school “socially transitioned” Mary by using a male name and male pronouns without her knowledge or consent. They are asking school officials to use Mary’s first name and female pronouns, and asking a federal judge to declare the district’s transgender-affirming policy illegal.
The lawsuit alleges that school officials began using male names and pronouns for the Douz children at the child’s request. The couple said they were unaware of the change until last December, when school officials used the man’s name in an email to parents about a lab the next day.
After staff tried to unsend the email, they told parents it was not intended for them. The next day, the employee “admitted to lying in the email” and told Douz that the school was honoring his request to refer to the child as male.
The couple claims they told school officials to start using Mary’s legal name, but they refused. According to the complaint, the principal told parents that school staff are trained to refer to students by their “preferred names and pronouns within the school.”
district staff policy It states that all students “have the right to be referred to by the name and pronouns that correspond to the student’s gender identity.” Parents are not required to file a court order stating that the student’s name or gender has been legally changed, and using a different name or pronouns does not require the student’s official school record to be changed.
However, the policy states that students’ academic records may be made public if the school is required to use the student’s legal name and legal gender. do not have changed to reflect their gender identity.
The Doozes claim the school district’s policy violates their religious beliefs that “God created each person as male or female, that gender is based on biology rather than inner self-identification, and that gender cannot be changed,” and circumvents parental rights by “socially transitioning” children without their knowledge. They also claim the policy violates their rights under federal and state law.
According to Exercise advancement projectSeven states require teachers and school administrators to “out” transgender youth to parents if the student requests accommodations based on gender identity. North Dakota and Alabama require teachers to disclose information about a student’s gender identity if requested by parents, and six other states require parents to be notified before approving a student’s desired name or pronoun change.
said Bob Mosier, spokesperson for Anne Arundel County Public Schools. baltimore banner Officials are aware of the complaint but say their policy is not to comment on pending litigation.
Val Anias, vice chair of the Annapolis Pride Board of Directors, told the newspaper that the organization supports the district’s policy of “acknowledging and respecting students for who they are.” These protections can disappear if the government succeeds in declaring the policy illegal.
“Creating a respectful and inclusive school environment where students feel safe to express themselves helps all children develop a sense of belonging, well-being, and opportunities to learn and grow,” Anias said in a statement.
Source: Metro Weekly – www.metroweekly.com
