Trans student with kidney disease sues high school for denying him access to boys’ bathroom
Trans-inclusive gender neutral bathroom sign (Sara D. Davis/Getty)
A trans student who has kidney disease is suing his high school for denying him access to the boys’ bathroom, which doctors believe may have worsened his illness.
The North Carolina student, who has not been named, said that the school discriminated against him when it refused to allow him to use the correct bathroom.
Now a senior, the student transitioned in his freshman year, according to the Shelby Star. He and his mother told Kings Mountain High School principal Julie Rikard and asked that he be allowed to use the boys’ bathroom.
The decision to refuse the trans student access to the boys’ bathroom had a physical and mental toll.
However, according to the lawsuit, his request was denied, leading to a mental and physical toll on the student.
“Because I am a boy I could not use the girls’ restroom comfortably and ended up avoiding the restroom for the entirety of the year,” the boy said in a sworn statement.
He also said that he was picked on when he used the girls’ bathroom. He was told in his Sophomore year that he could use the teachers’ bathroom, but claimed that he would get “looks” from staff when spotted in there.
He said he avoided using the bathroom entirely in school because of the rule, which doctors now believe worsened his stage four kidney disease.
A temporary restraining order means he can use the correct bathroom at school until a ruling is made.
The boy’s physician wrote in a court document: “In addition to the escalation in his anxiety and distress that has resulted from Kings Mountain High School’s refusal to let John access the restroom on equal terms as other boys, John’s kidney function has also been compromised as a result of his lack of access to appropriate restroom facilities.”
Shearra Miller, chair of the school board, said that the district “made an accommodation for the student that we felt was the in the best interest of the student at the time”.
A judge has temporarily approved a restraining order which means the school must let him use the boys’ bathroom until a ruling is made.
