A video posted to social media appears to show school officials breaking into a bathroom stall as a transgender high school student is using the bathroom.
According to The Daily Dot, the student originally posted the video to their social media but it has since gone viral. Her name isn’t being used as she’s apparently a minor.
The one-minute video, shot from the student’s perspective inside the stall, shows a crowbar or broomstick being used to reach over the door of the stall and unlatch it.
As this is happening the student says, “I’m using the bathroom, and look at them; I’m using the bathroom and they just violated me!”
“I am so scared and violated right now. They just walked in the bathroom while I was using the bathroom for no reason.”
The video was shared on Twitter by activist Kenidra Woods. Watch below.
A transgender female student @ Osseo Senior High was ostracized by administration, violated, and put out of school for using the Girl's bathroom.
Thoughts? pic.twitter.com/Pkh46MAjJP
— Kenidra4Humanity (@KenidraRWoods_) November 29, 2018
“I’m not personally in touch with the student, but in her video, she asked for people to share it far and wide,” Woods told the Daily Dot. “So, I made it my priority to share it because it infuriated me to my core. No one should be treated in the manner she was treated.”
While it’s possible there’s more to the story, it is difficult to believe that prying open a bathroom stall door on a student is the best possible approach to this situation. The officials or hall monitors couldn’t wait until the student exited the stall?
The issue of bathroom use by transgender students has been in the news frequently in recent years, especially since the Trump administration reversed an Obama-era policies that recommended transgender students be allowed to use the bathroom that aligned with their gender identity.
The student apparently posted follow-up videos to Facebook which appeared to identify the school as Osseo Senior High School in Osseo, Minnesota.
According to The Daily Dot, school officials have not commented on the video.
The story becomes more complicated as LGBTQNation reports someone who claims to be the sister of the student took to her Facebook to criticize the trans student’s actions.
In the sister’s post, misgendering the trans student throughout, the sister says the trans student has “a bathroom of [their] own to use whenever [they] wants to use it because [they] doesn’t feel comfortable using a men’s bathroom[…] because other girls won’t feel comfortable.” She also says her sibling had been in the bathroom for "like, an hour."
The sister later posted a message from their mother consistently referring to the trans student with male pronouns while claiming to fully support the student being transgender.
The mother goes on to write that the trans student “doesn’t realize is that [she’s] not the only one who has been effected by all [she] has done in the last 24hrs and the rollercoaster [she] brought us on.”
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UPDATE – The principal of Osseo High School has issued a statement saying "no students were barred or banned from using any bathroom at Osseo Senior High."
Dear Osseo Senior High families:
I am aware of social media posts that significantly misrepresent an incident that occurred at school on Nov. 28. It’s important for you to know that no students were barred or banned from using any bathroom at Osseo Senior High.
I sincerely wish I could say more, but for data privacy reasons, I cannot provide details about a situation involving a specific student.
What I hope you already know is that we work every day to create an inclusive school where students feel welcome and respected. Our staff regularly works with individual students and families who have varying needs, including needs related to identity.
I also want to assure you that staff intervenes in the use of restrooms only in situations such as the following:
- Concern about the safety of students, staff or community members
- Illness or health-related issues
- Suspected illegal activity
Respectfully,
Michael Lehan
Principal, Osseo Senior High
Micheal Lehan, you my sir are
Micheal Lehan, you my sir are a hate monger..god be with you..my sympathies
First, no adult should be
First, no adult should be following a student into the bathroom. They nasty asses. Secondly, of all people, the black school official should be the last person to be trying to harass anyone in the bathroom. And when I got finish using the bathroom I would mace her and everybody standing in the bathroom. Also, Principal Michael Lehan, your letter is irrelevant because using the bathroom didn't put any one in harm, the student was not sick, and there was no legal activity obviously since the student was sitting on the toilet! So save that letter cause your letter didn't say anything about reprimanding the Staff who clearly was violating the students privacy.
trans-idiocy
trans-idiocy