Colorado School District Won't Allow Transgender Child to Use the Girl's Restroom

The parents of the first grader have filed a discrimination complaint

The parents of a transgender child have filed a discrimination complaint against a Colorado school district for not letting the first grader use the girl's bathroom.

The student, Coy Mathis, was born a boy but identifies as a girl. Her parents said she used the girl's restroom in Kindergarten without incident. But for first grade, the principal informed her parents that would have to change.

The family was told Coy would have to use the boy's bathroom, the staff restroom or the nurse's bathroom for sick children, Coy's father, Jeremy Mathis, told CNN.

That policy "would stigmatize her, having to be the only one having to go to a different bathroom, so we weren't OK with that," he said.

The Fountain-Fort Carson School District "firmly believes it has acted reasonably and fairly with respect to this issue," the school district's attorney, W. Kelly Dude, said in a statement.

The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, which is representing Coy, filed the complaint with the state's civil rights division.

In a similar case, a New Hampshire school district decided last year to allow a third grader to use the girl's bathroom at her elementary school.

Via CNN

Should Coy be able to use the girl's restroom at school?

[NTBFW]

Match the plumbing with the plumbing.

[Knightkore]

Exactly.....

[martydotcom]

'Tis a genetic tragedy this poor child was born with, no fault of "it's" own his or her.
To take a young apparently transgendered child and stigmatize the poor thing additionally is just plain mean spirited
educate yourselves a little before making your decision so B&W
http://www.genderspectrum.org/about/faq

[MarkJM]

@martydotcom Okay, so little girls who may be disturbed by this should take a backseat? While it is understood those same little girls probably won't understand that concept of a (girl being born in a boy's body), they shouldn't have their ideals infringed upon because some parents want to treat their kid as "special". Sorry, physically a boy, use a boy's restroom. When "it" is old enough the he/she can get the requested surgery...yes it is a B&W decision...

[NTBFW]

@martydotcom I am NOT being mean spirited. I am worried about this poor little boy. He had some seriously messed up parents. Send him to the boys bathroom. Period. If he wants to act like a girl fine but he is and always will be a boy. I do defend his right to act like a girl. But If you want him to feel special let him be the boy that act like a girl that pees standing up.

[martydotcom]

@MarkJM. I'm am sure were it your child or loved one you'd be a little more sympathetic and less simplistic

[MrGreenHerb]

Why not? She's a human with rights.

[Knightkore]

People.....seriously? From women complaining about a commercial that they perceive promotes beastiality to this? America is screwed.....we've lost any sense of right and wrong, any sense of decency and any sense of what is what, not to mention common sense.....

If you have to ask the question.....your too brainwashed to understand.....

And NO he is a male.....NOT a she.....

[MrGreenHerb]

@Knightmare No way near brainwashed, SHE can be whatever she wants to be. I'm sure her parents would ask her what she wants to be, if she wants to be a female then let her, theres nothing wrong about that. The only thing wrong is not allowing her to use the restroom. If not, I'm sure bullying will be happening to this little girl.

[Knightkore]

@MrGreenHerb HE is a boy.....NOT a girl.....and you've been so brainwashed by progressive liberals, Oprah and lets just call it what it is.....immorality.....sin..... that you can't even tell the difference anymore.....

That's to begin with.....

Second there is NO WAY.....no way for a boy of this age to have any clue, any idea of some kind of "sexual gender identity".....

[Yank]

@MrGreenHerb a boy with long hair and a dress is no longer a boy? What about the parents of little girls who don't want a boy in their bathroom?

[MrGreenHerb]

@Knightmare Oprah? I don't watch TV as much as I gotten older, but I'm sure if this GIRL in her head believes she is a girl then allow her that, it doesn't matter. I'm sure she knows her gender identity if she is allowing her parents dress her in female clothes. As a boy, they would act like a boy, do things like a boy does. Girls do other things different, boys and girls are different by how they grow up, can't you say?

[harold_lloyd]

Here, transgender children use the toilet facilities available to faculty except when gender-neutral facilities are available in the classroom.

Many of our schools were designed so that 3rd grade and below have their own bathrooms.

[AntiPorcheria]

"Harold Lloyd - For common sense in America!" Bravo sir. Bravo.

[scotta]

The parents were told he could use the.factually or nursers bath room. But I do not want a boy in the same bath room with my daughter.

[harold_lloyd]

@scotta At six, it doesn't matter too much.

[ashgreen]

@scotta But he doesn't identify as a boy, he identifies as a girl. Why are you so concerned about a boy being in a girl's bathroom? My mother used to take my little brother into the women's room until he was almost 9 or 10. Are you somehow concerned about something sexual? Let me tell you quite frankly that there's something wrong if you think that a 1st grade boy (who identifies as a girl) is going to be sexually interested in you're daughter. They're children. They don't care. If they hadn't made such a fuss about it in the first place, she'd have gone into the stall, done her business and no one would ever know.

[scotta]

@ashgreen if "HIS" parents had taught him from the beginning he was a boy (and he is) there would be no problem about using the boys bath room. It is the parents "FAULT" there is a problem. If they wanted a girl they should adopt.

[Knightkore]

Hellified heck.....seriously? HE.....and I emphasize HE.....is only how old? They haven't any clue about "sexual identity".....heck adults don't have any clue about sexual identity.....LGBT people make it up as they go along.....

Sorry.....no.....you might "think" you "identify" as a girl but you have boy parts.....male parts.....this means going to a male bathroom.....

I'd be more concerned as to what these parents are teaching this child and where and this age he is getting this? Shouldn't he be watching Spongebob or Seasame Street?

[Denizen_Kate]

This type of transgender identification issue is no more common now than it used to be, however, we know more now and can handle these issues better. Way back when I was a child, this child would have been forced to dress and behave as a boy, regardless of how she felt about herself. She would have been mercilessly bullied and emotionally scarred for life. Is that what you want for this child? Perhaps the cluelessness is on your part. I suggest you study the latest science regarding children and transgender identification before coming to such a black-and-white conclusion. Be thankful this isn't you, or your child.

[Knightkore]

@Denizen_Kate You mean the biased science coming from the LGBT agenda? Yeah.....no I don't think so.....

[Denizen_Kate]

@Knightmare - No, I mean mainstream medical and psychological journal articles on the subject. Google "transgender identity." There is a wealth of unbiased information out there, and we're learning more every day.

[scotta]

Wrong. It medically proven babys start sexual activities with their self's.

[scotta]

@Denizen_Kate this child is a boy not a girl. He is a she. If his parents would have raised him like a boy this would not be a problem.

[Yank]

I have commented about this sick story many, many, many times as it was brought up over the last few years. You have an 18 month old boy who started playing with dolls and the parents said at 4 years old he told them that there was something "wrong" with his body. There is no way a 4 year old knows the difrence between a male or female body. There is no way a 4 year old has a sexual identity. There is no way that at 4 years old a child is aware enough of their own gender or the masculan/feminie form of the English language to be able to demand to be called a girl. Now at 6 who knows how much of this behavior is from the effects of his parents.

[Knightkore]

I see big therapy bills in this BOYS future.....maybe.....unless this country has gone further off the proverbial moral and mental cliff when he's older.....in which case those of us who have any real clue of what's what and common sense may be the ones considered deranged.....

[Zazziness]

@Knightmare If he's in therapy in later life, it will be thanks to those in society who are already desperate to pressure him into being something he is not. And over something so silly as using a ladies' bathroom.

[Yank]

@Zazziness I am a bit confused with what you are saying. Are you saying it is silly to allow a boy into the girl's bathroom, or that it is silly to not allow a boy into the girl's bathroom?

[Zazziness]

@Yank I think it's silly not to let the kid use the ladies' room. People seem concerned genitalia will be exposed but since the ladies' rooms stalls are private, that's not an issue. If a child with a vagina identified as male, I guess I might be a little more hesitant but, even then, I think the gender-separated rest rooms are slowly on their way out-of-fashion so why make a fuss about yesterday's concerns.
The Japanese are so much more sensible about public nudity related to rest rooms. "Nudity is often seen but never noticed."

[Yank]

@Zazziness so isn't it just as silly for him to not use the boys restroom? In a few years will it also be silly for him to not be able to use the girl's changing rooms for phy-ed?

[Knightkore]

Where's an asteroid big enough to level a country when you need it?

[PoliticalSpice]

I'd be happy with one big enough to over the red states...

[Knightkore]

@PoliticalSpice Nah.....a complete start over.....

[BossTweed]

How could any sane parent go along with a child quesitoning their sexual orientation when the child is in FIRST GRADE. We are one screwed up Nation. FIRST GRADE???

[Zazziness]

@BossTweed I'm straight. I knew at that age I was going to grow up and marry Daniel Boone or, possibly, Underdog. I'll grant you Underdog was a bit of a confused crush but even at that, it did come naturally to me to crush on males. Don't you think homosexuals also find natural attractions and inclinations are there, if muted, from a very young age? I know I've heard many of them say they knew from childhood they were not the same as the other kids -- why not believe them?

[AnnieO]

@BossTweed I saw this story on CNN this morning. The parents said they noticed he identified himself with females starting at 18 months. I found it hard to believe as well.

[Realthinker]

Rather than spend money on a lawsuit, these parents should be paying for psychiatric care for this child and themselves. If they don't they should lose custody. Six is too young to understand gender issues without a great deal of inappropriate input from adults. How do we know Mom didn't desperately want a girl? At any rate, the girls deserve their privacy. The school is right.

[SMARTAZ]

Right, or get the male genitalia removed and end of discussion. Hell, I'll donate a dollar if that's what it takes.

[Realthinker]

@SMARTAZ I remember hearing of a similar case a few months ago. At one point in time a boy's parents had determined he would be better off as a girl so that is how they raised him. I don't remember if there was surgery involved or not. But now he had decided he wants to be a male after all and he is furious with his parents. Six is much too young to make such a decision. So is 18 so far as I am concerned.

[SMARTAZ]

@Realthinker right, who knows what will happen when this child reaches puberty. I think if this child has a penis you have to treat it as a male until at least that point. In the following years or even now you can explain that he was born a boy on the outside but he may be a girl on the inside and that's ok. He'll figure out later if he's gay or not.

[mimi57]

Looks to me as if the parents got the 'girl' they really wanted...

[Thunderchicken]

You beat me to it. :-)

[PoliticalSpice]

Yea. Is this the childs idea or the parents? Playing with dolls and such does not mean the child needs be told they are transgender. Let the kid hit puberty and then he can decide if he is gay, transgender, transvestite, or just a guy with female interest. All that emphasis on sex at that young an age cannot do anything but confuse the child...

[culinary]

ExActly!!

[NTBFW]

@PoliticalSpice I agree mr green jeans was pissing me off. I don't care if they get older and realize they are gay whatever. But even them the most he can do is ACT like a girl. Which is fine when they are older. But what does a 6 year old kid know about anything ?

[AnnieO]

@NTBFW Or a 5 month old! That's when these parents said it started!

http://m.usatoday.com/article/news/1953345...

[Hoosierdaddy]

What about the girls that might feel uncomfortable with he she (whatever) in the bathroom or the parents. I refer you to lious ck on this story

[jessejaymes]

The school has made adequate alternatives available to the child. The child knows they are transgendered (although you have to wonder how they know by age 6) and the school is willing to accommodate that. But little first grade girls should not have to be exposed to the penis of other kids regardless of their sexual orientation. This is utter nonsense.

[Knightkore]

Thank you.....exactly.....

[Zazziness]

You don't hang out there so I guess you didn't know. Ladies' rooms have private stalls. We do not do our business in front of each other, as men do. So there is no problem letting the student use the facilities that are comfortable.

[jessejaymes]

@Zazziness but boys do their business in front of others. And he has a penis. Why is it you are so consistently willing to take away the rights of everyone in the majority in order to give "rights" to the rare exception?

[Zazziness]

@jessejaymes I'm not suggesting anyone's rights be taken away -- unless you mean your right to force people to act the way you want them to. And you never had that "right" in the first place.

[jessejaymes]

@Zazziness There is a reason there is a men's and women's restrooms. That's the way it is and no matter how much you want to change that it's not going to change.

[rocketeer]

school district should counter-sue nullfy suit.or counter sue on grounds of child abuse.

[Penn1699]

Who makes up this crap?!
Genes don't lie. If you are girl use girls, boys use boys. The small anomolies, case by case.
Not rocket science.

[mohawkmaid1]

No, and the parents are crazy for letting this go on. Boys are boys and girls are girls end of story.

[hwyangel]

I so agree. And there is so much more to our identities than our genitals.

[bsking]

This is the results of liberal hogwash.

[Zazziness]

Ladies' restrooms have private stalls so it's not at all a big deal to let the child use the facility that's comfortable.

[jessejaymes]

And first graders are not at all uncomfortable exposing themselves to others. Is there no subject that you won't allow the clear majority to have their way on?

[Zazziness]

@jessejaymes I'm a proud American and believe in the individual liberty this nation was founded to nurture.

[jessejaymes]

@Zazziness That's pure unmitigated BS. the school has made adequate alternative adequate accommodations and just because you and few others like you want to trample on the rights of everyone for the select few is not liberty. It's tyranny.

[Zazziness]

@jessejaymes No, it's reasonable. No one's "rights" are being trampled. Let the kid go pee in a stall in the lady's room? Know what will happen to life, liberty and you when that occurs? Nothing.

[jessejaymes]

@Zazziness Hitler claimed that by taking the rights of the Jews he was expanding the rights of the Germans. Stalin claimed that by killing the educated and artists that he was expanding the rights of the Russians. Idi Amin claimed that by killing off the tribes other than his own he was expanding the rights of his tribe. YOU on the other hand just want to kill the rights of the vast majority of parents of little girls. Not thanks. I don't support tyranny at any level.

[culinary]

This is the most bizarre thing I have ever heard...

[MarkJM]

Each parent thinks their one child is special above all. But if that child is PHYSICALLY a boy, then that child should use the boy's restroom. When "it" is old enough to get the surgery, then so be it....

[Dan_Tien]

I've got to wonder how much the school district is being asked to accommodate the child, and how much they AND the child are being forced to accommodate the parents.

[SavageMazx]

It amazes me that we people either chose or are handed something no typical they immediately think it is everyone else's problem. The 1% is demanding that the 99% cater to them.