RENAISSANCE FERUSSELL STAMPER.
>> APPRECIATE IT.
>> COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
ALLOWS INCREASING THE EXISTING
SALES TAX.
TURNING TO EDUCATION, A FEDERAL
JUDGE ISSUED A PRELIMINARY
INJUNCTION AGAINST A MUKWONAGO
AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT THIS WEEK
FOR A POLICY THAT STATES
STUDENTS CAN ONLY USE THE
BATHROOM ACCORDING TO EACH
STUDENT'S ORIGINAL SEX ASSIGNED
AT BIRTH.
THE CATALYST FOR THE POLICY
AROSE FROM AN 11-YEAR OLD TRANS
GIRL IN THE DISTRICT AND A
SUDDEN BACKLASH FROM OTHER
PARENTS.
MARISA WOJCIK HAS THE STORY.
>> I GOT A PHONECALL FROM THE
SCHOOL LETTING ME KNOW THAT
THERE WAS PARENTS INQUIRING
ABOUT MY CHILD.
>> THIS IS JANE DOE NUMBER TWO.
HER DAUGHTER, JANE DOE NUMBER
ONE.
>> WANTING TO KNOW IF MY CHILD
WAS A BOY, WANTING TO KNOW ABOUT
THE GENITALIA IN MY CHILD'S
PANTS, LIKE ASKING QUESTIONS
THAT ARE REALLY INAPPROPRIATE.
>> THE COURT IS USING PSEUDONYM
TO PREVENT FURTHER HARASSMENT.
HER CHILD IS AN 11-YEAR-OLD GIRL
AT THE MUKWONAGO AREA SCHOOL
DISTRICT.
HER DAUGHTER WAS ALSO ASSIGNED
MALE AT BIRTH BUT STARTED
IDENTIFYING AND LIVING AS A GIRL
AT HOME SINCE THE AGE OF THREE.
>> IT'S JUST WHO SHE IS AND IT'S
WHO SHE'S BEEN SINCE SHE WAS
REALLY LITTLE AND SHE LIVED AS A
GIRL AT HOME AND AT SCHOOL TRIED
REALLY HARD TO JUST BE WHO
EVERYONE WAS EXPECTING HER TO
BE.
AND SHE CAME HOME FROM SCHOOL
ONE DAY AND SAID, "I CAN'T DO
THIS ANYMORE.
I CAN'T CONTINUE TO LIVE MY LIFE
AS THIS BOY.
IT'S NOT WHO I AM "HERE AND
NOW."
>> DESPITE YEARS OF HER DAUGHTER
USING THE GIRLS BATHROOM AT
SCHOOL, SUDDENLY IT WAS AN
ISSUE.
A MAY SCHOOL BOARD MEETING TOOK
PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE MATTER.
>> AND THEY MOVED IT FROM THE
NORMAL AREA AT THE DISTRICT
OFFICE TO THE HIGH SCHOOL
GYMNASIUM.
THEY WERE EXPECTING A LOT OF
PEOPLE TO SHOW UP, THEY CALLED
THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, PARENTS
CAME IN AND THEY WERE
ESSENTIALLY SAYING I'M NOT OKAY
WITH THIS, YOU DON'T GET TO DO
THIS, WHAT ABOUT MY KIDS.
>> DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOY AND
A GIRL.
>> OUR DAUGHTER'S RIGHTS NEED TO
BE VEHEMENTLY PROTECTED FROM
THIS FALSE IDEOLOGY THAT
CHILDREN CAN PICK THEIR GENDER.
I'M HERE TO SAY THAT THE FEMALE
SEX BELONGS IN THE FEMALE
BATHROOMS AND LOCKER ROOMS AND
MALE IN THE MALE LOCKER ROOMS
AND BATH ROOMS.
>> MY DAUGHTER DOES NOT VIOLATE
YOUR RIGHTS.
NOTHING ABOUT MY DAUGHTER BEING
IN THE BATHROOM, IN THE
BUILDING, NOTHING VIOLATES YOUR
CHILD'S RIGHTS BECAUSE MY CHILD
EXISTS.
>> A MAY SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
TOOK IMPLEMENT ON THE MATTER.
A JUNE SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
PASSED A POLICY STATING STUDENTS
MUST USE THE BATHROOM ACCORDING
TO EACH STUDENT'S ORIGINAL
SPACE-X ASSIGNED AT BIRTH.
>> I WAS AT THE BOARD MEETING
AND LISTENING TO ALL OF THESE
AND I JUST CRIED.
I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS IS
WHAT THEY WERE DOING.
>> SHE SOUGHT SUPPORT FROM AN
ATTORNEY WHO HAS BEEN THROUGH
THIS BEFORE.
IN WHEN I SAYS ACRE V KENOSHA
UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT, HE
REPRESENTED A TRANS BOY WHO WAS
PREVENTED FROM USING THE BOYS
BATHROOM.
>> WE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT
TO TAKE ACTION TO MAKE SURE THAT
THAT PRECEDENT WAS UPHELD AND
THAT OUR CLIENT COULD EXERCISE
THOSE RIGHTS THAT THE COURT HAS
SAID SHE HAS.
>> THE DISTRICT CONTENDS THE
SAFETY AND PRIVACY OF THE OTHER
STUDENTS USING THE BATHROOM
JUSTIFIES THEIR POLICY.
>> AB ASTRONAUT ABSTRACT IDEA TY
ELSE'S PRIVACY IS BEING
THREATENED IS NOT ENOUGH TO
JUSTIFY THAT.
WE ALL USE THE BATHROOMS EVERY
DAY IN PUBLIC PLACES WHERE THERE
ARE OTHER PEOPLE IN THE BATHROOM
AND THAT'S YOUR PRIVACY INTEREST
THAT WE HAVE ISN'T MORE OR LESS
IMPLICATED BASED ON THE PERSON
IN THE STALL NEXTDOOR BEING
TRANSGENDER.
THERE HASN'T BEEN ANY THREAT TO
THE SAFETY OR PRIVACY OF OTHER
STUDENTS.
THE THREAT HAS BEEN TO THE
SAFETY AND PRIVACY OF OUR
CLIENT.
>> IN A BRIEF, THE DISTRICT
ARGUES THE MOTHER AND DAUGHTER
HAVE NOT AVAILED THEMSELVES OF
LESS DRASTIC SOLUTIONS TO
EFFECTIVELY ADDRESS THE PRESENT
SITUATION.
THEY STATED BOARD POLICY 5514
REQUIRES A TEAM OF DISTRICT
STAFF TO CONSIDER EXCEPTIONS OR
ACCOMMODATIONS TO THIS
REQUIREMENT ON A CASE-BY-CASE
BASIS.
THE ALTERNATIVE TO THE STUDENT
HAVING TO USE THE BOYS BATHROOM
WAS OFFERING A GENDER NEUTRAL
BATHROOM.
>> OFFERING A GENDER NEUTRAL
ALTERNATIVE IF YOU AGREE
REQUIRING THE TRANS STUDENT TO
USE IT OR USE A BATHROOM IS NOT
CORRESPONDING TO THEIR GENDER
IDENTITY DOESN'T MAKE THE POLICY
NON-DISCRIMINATORY.
YOU'RE STILL REQUIRING SOMETHING
OF THAT TRANSGENDER STUDENT THAT
YOU AREN'T REQUIRING OF ANY
OTHER STUDENT.
>> YOU'RE ENDANGERING A CHILD
EVERY TIME YOU TRY TO FORCE HER
INTO A DIFFERENT BATHROOM
BECAUSE YOU'RE SINGING HER OUT.
YOU'RE TELLING EVERYBODY SHE'S
DIFFERENT, AND THAT PUTS A
TARGET ON HER BACK.
>> THE DISTRICT ALSO SAID THEY
VEE IN THE MEANTIMELY REFUTE ANY
DISCRIMINATION AND STRONGLY
DISAGREE WITH THE BASELESS
ASSERTION THAT THE POLICY WILL
CAUSE HER IRREPARABLY RAHM
EMMANUEL HARM. HARM.
>> OUR CHILD HAS BEEN FACING
HARASSMENT AT SCHOOL SINCE ALL
OF THIS STARTED AT SPRING.
>> SHE HAS THIS CONSTANT WORRY
OF WHO IS WATCHING ME TODAY, WHO
IS GOING TO FOLLOW ME TODAY.
SHE'S VOICED CONCERN ABOUT IF
KIDS ARE GOING TO HURT HER IN
THE BATHROOM.
SHE'S CONCERNED ABOUT PEOPLE
PULLING HER OUT OF A REST ROOM
OR PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, PUSHING HER
INTO THE REST ROOM SHE SHOULDN'T
BE USING.
>> ON JULY 11, FEDERAL JUDGE
LYNN ADELMAN RULED IN FAVOR OF
THE STUDENT AND GRANTED AN
INJUNCTION AGAINST THE SCHOOL
POLICY.
THE DISTRICTS DECLINED TO BE
INTERVIEWED.
IN A STATEMENT, THEY WROTE, THE
DISTRICT WILL CONTINUE TO DEFEND
OUR POLICY AND MOVE FORWARD WITH
AN APPEAL OF THIS INJUNCTION.
>> I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
KEEP IN MIND THAT WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT A KID.
>> SHE'S AN AMAZING KID.
SHE IS FUNNY AND SHE'S SILLY AND
SHE LIKES TO DRAW.
SHE'S INQUISITIVE AND SHE LOVES
SCIENCE AND SHE'S REALLY
INVOLVED IN S.T.E.M. THINGS.
SHE LIKES DOING GIRLY THINGS AND
GLITTER AND SEQUINS AND SHE'S
JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER 11-YEAR
OLD KID, EVERY OTHER 11-YEAR-OLD
GIRL OUT THERE.
>> REPORTING FROM MUKWONAGO, I'M