Trans pupil ‘had to show head Equality Act’ to wear female clothing for exam
A trans teenager has said she had to show her headmaster a copy of the Equality Act before he would allow her to sit an exam wearing female clothing.
16-year-old Ashlyn Parram’s parents have complained after she was told to return home and change her clothes.
Instead, she showed the headmaster of the Giles Academy in Boston, Lincolnshire a copy of the Equality Act provisions for non-discrimination on the grounds of gender identity.
She was then allowed to sit the exam but was segregated from other pupils.
The school has rebutted all allegations of wrongdoing.
Ashlyn told the Sun: “I have never felt so bad about myself.
“It’s sad people can’t be more open-minded. I’ve lost a lot of friends because of everything I’ve been through. I really didn’t need to lose the support of my teachers.”
She is waiting for hormone therapy and said coming to terms with being gay or transgender “does horrific things to your emotions, but thanks to my family I am strong and determined to live my life the way I want.”
Her mother said her treatment by the school was “appalling” and “disgusting”.
She told the paper: “If Ashlyn had been black or disabled there would be uproar. She’s a vulnerable teenager who needs the support of her teachers, not their opposition.”
The Sun reports that a female teacher was warned after imitating the pupil’s walk in front of other students.
A school spokesman said: “Giles Academy is an Ofsted Outstanding school in a caring environment with robust equalities policies. The governing body of the Academy rejects all the allegations.”
