Man Vs. Woman

Lila Perry is a 17-year-old teenager who goes to high school in Missouri. Until she was 13, she felt she was a gay male. Then, she realized she identified more with the female sex than with the male sex. She kept it a secret until last winter, when she told the world she was a trans-gendered female. Once that happened, she began using a bathroom at her high school that was unisex. However, this year she has begun using the women’s bathroom and also changing in the women’s locker room. Parents and students have been divided on this issue, and the protests have made this national news.

Supporters of Perry

There are many who feel Perry should be allowed to use the women’s restroom and locker room. Perry began to feel excluded and ostracized when she was using the faculty restroom, which is why she began using the student’s female restroom. Perry herself has reassured parents of female students that she has no intention of harming their children. She was quoted as saying: “I’m not going to expose myself. I’m not a pervert. I’m a transgender woman. I’m a girl. I’m just in there to change, do my business, and if they have any questions about being transgender, they are more than welcome to talk to me, and I’ll be happy to explain it.”

Protesters of Perry

Many are concerned that the issues surrounding allowing a trans-gendered woman to use a bathroom could rise. A lot of the girls at the school have expressed feeling uncomfortable while Perry is in the locker room. Although Perry wears a dress and a wig to school, she is still anatomically a male. Because she still has the body parts of a male, some of the girls feel she isn’t truly trans-gendered. People who are against Perry being allowed to use the women’s restrooms and locker rooms are concerned about the girls’ rights. They want Perry to continue using the unisex restroom that was offered to her by the faculty staff when she came out about being trans-gendered last February. They say it isn’t fair to the other girls to give Perry special treatment and just make the rest of the girls deal with their feelings of being uncomfortable with her being in there.

Another concern raised by protesters is that other males may look at this as an opportunity to get into the girl’s restroom and locker rooms. Parents are concerned their girls are no longer safe and they could be attacked by boys who aren’t really trans-gendered but claim to be in order to access the locker room. It appears all a male student has to do to gain access to the women’s locker room and restroom is throw on a dress, add a wig, and say he identifies as a female.

Protest

A protest was held at the school on Monday. Almost 200 students walked out of the school during school hours and stayed outside for around two hours. Some of the protesters supported Perry and her right to use the restroom she felt most comfortable with. The rest sided with the girls who didn’t want Perry in the locker room or restroom. It was divided about half and half, and students were not punished for disrupting school activities to stage the protest.

What Are Her Rights?

This is not the first time there has been a controversy over trans-gendered individuals wanting access to women’s restrooms.

• In 2013, a trans-gendered teenager from California was allowed access to the women’s restroom when she had previously been denied.
• Another teenager from Maine was allowed access to the women’s restroom and also awarded $75,000 after she sued the school.

There are some things the school can do to help make everyone more comfortable, such as giving access to other bathrooms to the girls who don’t want Perry to use the same restroom as they do.