If you opened up CNN today like I always do, you probably saw a beautiful, smiling little girl with purple hair wearing a pink dress as one of the main headlines.
The only problem is this isn’t a sunny story about Barbies and butterflies. The story was about how the transgendered little first grader living in Colorado was told by the school system that she could no longer use the girl’s bathroom at school.
Coy Mathis, according to her mother, was born with male genitalia, but has always identified with being a girl. She dresses as a girl and her passport and state-issued ID identify her as a girl. Last year, Coy attended kindergarten at Eagleside Elementary and was allowed to use the girl’s bathroom.
But, now she’s a year older and officials decided that now Coy must use the boy’s bathroom, the gender-neutral faculty bathrooms, or the nurse’s bathroom. In other words, as a transgendered child, she should be made to feel different and not in a good way.
Coy’s mother Kathryn says that everyone was accepting at first, but now things have changed and the family is confused by that. In an attempt to ward off any bullying that may result, the Mathis’ have pulled Coy out of school and are now homeschooling.
Coy and her family have filed a civil rights complaint and are being represented by a lawyer from the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund. An attorney for the school district said they took into consideration all the children at the school, their parents, and the “future impact” of having a person with male genitalia using a female’s only bathroom. In a statement released by the district, it said it “firmly believes it has acted reasonably and fairly with respect to this issue.” The statement also said that any issues with this ruling should be discussed through of the Division of Civil Rights process.
How would you feel if a transgendered child was going to school with your children? Would you be opposed to them using the same restroom?