denver post

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Transgender child Coy Mathis banned from using the girl's bathroom at Colorado school. THE PARENTS of a transgender six year-old have lodged a legal complaint after an elementary school banned their male-born child from using the girl's bathroom. Coy Mathis has identified as a girl since kindergarten and wears girl's clothes. At school the staff and other pupils refer to coy as female. Coy's passport identifies the Colorado native as female and up until last December, Coy had used the little girl's bathroom at her public elementary school without complaint. Mum Kathryn said she was told after the winter school break last December that Coy can no longer use the girl's bathrooms and must use the nurse's bathroom, the boy's restroom or the staff toilet. The Mathis family have now filed a legal complaint which argues that the bathroom ban violates Colorado's Anti-Discrimination Act. The school said its decision took into account "not only Coy, but other students in the building, their parents and the future impact a boy, with male genitals, using a girls' bathroom would have as Coy grew older," attorney Kelly Dude said in letter on behalf of the Fountain-Fort Carson School District.The letter argues that at school "Coy attends class as all other students, is permitted to wear girls' clothes and is referred to as the parents have requested," but the school is not required under the law to allow a transgender child to use the bathroom for the gender with which they identify. Coy no longer attends the public elementary school which began the toilet ban and is being educated at home until the issue is resolved. Coy's parents said they fear other students will bully their child when they realise Coy wears dresses but uses the boy's bathroom. an no longer use the girl's bathrooms and must use the nurse's bathroom, the boy's restroom or the staff toilet. The Mathis family have now filed a legal complaint which argues that the bathroom ban violates Colorado's Anti-Discrimination Act. The school said its decision took into account "not only Coy, but other students in the building, their parents and the future impact a boy, with male genitals, using a girls' bathroom would have as Coy grew older," attorney Kelly Dude said in letter on behalf of the Fountain-Fort Carson School District. The letter argues that at school "Coy attends class as all other students, is permitted to wear girls' clothes and is referred to as the parents have requested," but the school is not required under the law to allow a transgender child to use the bathroom for the gender with which they identify. Coy no longer attends the public elementary school which began the toilet ban and is being educated at home until the issue is resolved. Coy's parents said they fear other students will bully their child when they realise Coy wears dresses but uses the boy's bathroom. "This automatically singles her out and stigmatizes her," she said. "It sets her up for future harassing and bullying, and creates an unsafe environment. The school has a wonderful opportunity to teach students that differences are OK, and we should embrace their differences, instead of teaching them to discriminate against someone who is a little different," Kathryn Mathis told The Denver Post. "It's important for us to talk about this, because a lot of people have been so afraid to be their true selves for so long," Mrs Mathis said. Coy's case raises significant legal issues for American schools, according to the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund who are representing the Mathis family. "This is significant for both Colorado and nationally," the group's executive director Michael Silverman said. "For Colorado, it is the first test of the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act as related to access to bathrooms by transgender students. "On a national level, as we see more and more transgender people coming out at younger and younger ages, people will be watching what happens in Colorado."