Pennsylvania Students Stage Walk Out To Protest Trans Bathroom Policy
We love to see common sense fighting back.
Hundreds of students at a Pennsylvania high school walked out of class Friday to protest a decision that allows transgender students to use whichever bathroom they choose.
John Ott organized the walkout after the Perkiomen Valley School District opted not to adopt a policy that would force students to use restrooms which correspond with their biological sex.
"Kids were upset. Girls... we wanted to protect them. They were upset. They didn't want men in their bathroom," Ott told FOX News.
John's mother Stephanie said the district violated the rights of its female students.
"The safety of females is so important and these students that stood out that walked out, they are to be commended. They have courage and they exercise their First Amendment rights," she said. "This is about protecting our children and our privacy and boys and girls. It's simple biology."
Policy 720 was proposed when a parent named Tim Jagger said his daughter felt "too upset and emotionally disturbed" to walk into school bathrooms after allegedly having an encounter with a male using the facilities.
"There is zero reason for someone with male genitalia to be in the girls' facilities," Jagger said. "It's a simple matter of biology, safety, personal space."
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Under the proposed policy, multi-use restrooms and locker rooms designated for one sex will be used only by that sex. Students who identify as transgender may instead use single-use restrooms if they prefer.
School District Shoots Down New Trans Bathroom Rules
Perkiomen Valley School Board President Jason Saylor supported the changes.
"Do we think it's accurate and fair that students should have access to any bathroom they want depending on how they identify? Do we think that's appropriate? It's my personal opinion. I don't," Saylor told WPVI-TV in Philadelphia.
But the district ultimately did not pass Policy 720. And Superintendent Barbara Russell said it was the right call — noting "gender identification as a protected class."
But for hundreds of students, the board's decision is unacceptable. And that's why they walked out Friday.
Melanie Marren told FOX & Friends First she supports her two kids' decision to take part in the protest.
"They are making these policies without taking into consideration how they affect the students and how uncomfortable it is just to be a teenager in general, but now have to be faced with the invasion of their privacy in those areas where they should feel safe and private," Marren said.
Student Victoria Rudolph said she feels the school isn't doing its part to protect its girls.
"There needs to be some changes. It's just uncomfortable seeing, 19-year-old men or 18-year-old men in the bathroom," she said.
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But Tarren McDonnell, a trans Perkiomen alum, says males who identify as female are vulnerable to bullying and must be allowed to use spaces where they feel safe.
"I think people understand that change can be tough, but it's, it's really, I think we're moving forward," McDonnell said at a previous board meeting. "I think people just need to get more used to it."
In other words: Ladies, no more private spaces for you. Only men's safety and comfort matter — not yours. Just "get used to it."
That's ludicrous. And hundreds of students at Perkiomen Valley think so, too.