Boise junior high defends decision on transgender student

This story originally published March 21, 2015

South Junior High School received only one anonymous complaint after a transgender student publicly defended the student’s use of the school’s girls bathroom, the principal said Friday. The school received three comments supporting the student and the school.

On Thursday, D.W. Trantham and her father, Tim Trantham, spoke to news media about D.W. being transgender. They cited complaints from two parents who said they were pulling their child from school because D.W., who was born a boy, was allowed to use the girls’ bathroom.

“It was really devastating to think that parents were so scared of me and that their lack of understanding led them to take their child out of school, “ D.W. told KBOI TV.

Principal Jeff Hultberg told the Idaho Statesman that he has had no problems with students regarding a transgender student’s presence on campus.

“From my perspective, the students have not viewed this as a big issue, “ Hultberg said. “A lot of students went to elementary school with her. They have been aware of the issue for several years.”

“Transgender” is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth, according to GLAAD, the former Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

“People under the transgender umbrella may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, “ GLAAD says. “Many transgender people are prescribed hormones by their doctors to change their bodies. Some undergo surgery as well. But not all transgender people can or will take those steps, and a transgender identity is not dependent upon medical procedures.”

Hultberg learned that D.W. is transgender shortly after school began this year. He said he met with the student and a parent to discuss any specific accommodations. The school agreed to let the student use the girls’ bathroom beginning about October after checking with the Boise School District’s attorney, he said.

“The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has instructed schools nationwide that sex-discrimination prohibitions in federal law include protections for gender identity, “ the district said in a statement Thursday. “As such, under federal civil rights law, the district is required to provide access to public facilities consistent with the student’s gender identity.”

South Junior High did not notify other parents and students of the decision. It was a matter between school officials and the family, Hultberg said.

In an interview with the Statesman, Hultberg did not mention D.W. by name. He would not confirm that parents had taken their student out of school, citing student privacy. Before Thursday, Hultberg said, he received two complaints from parents expressing concern over the transgender student’s use of the bathroom.

Hultberg said he made accommodations with one family to let that student use the bathroom in the nurses’ office. Another family declined his solution, he said.

District officials said they had not received any calls from residents about the transgender student.

By Bill Roberts

broberts@idahostatesman.com

© 2015 Idaho Statesman

South Junior High School received only one anonymous complaint after a transgender student publicly defended the student’s use of the school’s girls bathroom, the principal said Friday. The school received three comments supporting the student and the school.

On Thursday, D.W. Trantham and her father, Tim Trantham, spoke to news media about D.W. being transgender. They cited complaints from two parents who said they were pulling their child from school because D.W., who was born a boy, was allowed to use the girls’ bathroom.

“It was really devastating to think that parents were so scared of me and that their lack of understanding led them to take their child out of school, “ D.W. told KBOI TV.

Principal Jeff Hultberg told the Idaho Statesman that he has had no problems with students regarding a transgender student’s presence on campus.

“From my perspective, the students have not viewed this as a big issue, “ Hultberg said. “A lot of students went to elementary school with her. They have been aware of the issue for several years.”

“Transgender” is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth, according to GLAAD, the former Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.

“People under the transgender umbrella may describe themselves using one or more of a wide variety of terms, “ GLAAD says. “Many transgender people are prescribed hormones by their doctors to change their bodies. Some undergo surgery as well. But not all transgender people can or will take those steps, and a transgender identity is not dependent upon medical procedures.”

Hultberg learned that D.W. is transgender shortly after school began this year. He said he met with the student and a parent to discuss any specific accommodations. The school agreed to let the student use the girls’ bathroom beginning about October after checking with the Boise School District’s attorney, he said.

“The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has instructed schools nationwide that sex-discrimination prohibitions in federal law include protections for gender identity, “ the district said in a statement Thursday. “As such, under federal civil rights law, the district is required to provide access to public facilities consistent with the student’s gender identity.”

South Junior High did not notify other parents and students of the decision. It was a matter between school officials and the family, Hultberg said.

In an interview with the Statesman, Hultberg did not mention D.W. by name. He would not confirm that parents had taken their student out of school, citing student privacy. Before Thursday, Hultberg said, he received two complaints from parents expressing concern over the transgender student’s use of the bathroom.

Hultberg said he made accommodations with one family to let that student use the bathroom in the nurses’ office. Another family declined his solution, he said.

District officials said they had not received any calls from residents about the transgender student.

This story was originally published May 13, 2016 at 3:59 PM with the headline "Boise junior high defends decision on transgender student."