03-12-2014, 04:07 PM
As much as it might be awkward to say here, I'd side with the school, but not for the reason you might suspect.
First, I applaud the school for taking some kind of action at all, even though the family was offended by it. It would have been far too easy for the administration to say, "Sorry, you have a penis. Go use the stand up potties."
This case reminds me of the woman who complained about being offered to use the managers office at Target when she asked if there was somewhere she could sit to breastfeed her child, instead of simply being brought a chair. The school was protecting Maines from possible ridicule by other students. All it would take was one time where some overly macho jackass decided to harass (or worse) her for something I'm sure she already feels intense insecurity over, and instead of 75K, her family would own that school.
Lastly, this ruling opens a floodgate. It has established precident. Boys can now walk into the girls bathroom whenever they want by simply saying they suffer from GD. The school isn't going to pay for the deep psychiatric testing to confirm, and expecting the family to produce the proof would be asking for another lawsuit. Some families aren't as supportive as others, and I can foresee ignorant and intolerant father-figures screaming at an administrator for demanding "proof that my boy is a fag."
First, I applaud the school for taking some kind of action at all, even though the family was offended by it. It would have been far too easy for the administration to say, "Sorry, you have a penis. Go use the stand up potties."
This case reminds me of the woman who complained about being offered to use the managers office at Target when she asked if there was somewhere she could sit to breastfeed her child, instead of simply being brought a chair. The school was protecting Maines from possible ridicule by other students. All it would take was one time where some overly macho jackass decided to harass (or worse) her for something I'm sure she already feels intense insecurity over, and instead of 75K, her family would own that school.
Lastly, this ruling opens a floodgate. It has established precident. Boys can now walk into the girls bathroom whenever they want by simply saying they suffer from GD. The school isn't going to pay for the deep psychiatric testing to confirm, and expecting the family to produce the proof would be asking for another lawsuit. Some families aren't as supportive as others, and I can foresee ignorant and intolerant father-figures screaming at an administrator for demanding "proof that my boy is a fag."