Transgender Student Sues Chicago School District For Discriminatory Actions

A transgender student filed a lawsuit, Thursday, against her high school district in Chicago, alleging discriminatory behavior by the school officials.

According to a report by the Chicago Tribune, Nova Maday, 18, filed a lawsuit against Township High School District 211, Palatine, Chicago, at Cook County Circuit Court where she claimed that the school did not allow her to use the girls’ locker room during physical education classes. She also said that it affected her grades and also her mental health.

According to the report, the high school officials recently allowed Maday to change in the facility provided for girls but only if she complied to change in an "unspecified private changing area within the locker room." The lawsuit stated that this was not required of other students.

The lawsuit asserted the fact that Maday was not treated equally with her fellow female students, violated the Illinois Humans Rights Act. It also stated that Maday recognized herself as a female from October 2014 and had been using a female name and pronouns, as well as dressed as a female.

The lawsuit which was filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois and the Chicago law firm Mandell Menkes LLC, on behalf of Maday said, "Nova’s ability to live as a girl in all aspects of her life has been essential for treating her gender dysphoria."

It continued: "Before treatment, Nova had severe depression. Since her treatment began, Nova’s depression has improved, her grades have gotten better in all of her classes besides P.E., and she has become more social."

The lawsuit also stated, "under the District’s policy... Nova must be conspicuously separated from her fellow students and singled out for differential treatment by being required to dress separately from them, either in a separate facility or in a separate area within the locker room."

"The District’s actions signal to Nova that she is not really a girl and should feel ashamed of who she is and about her body, in particular," the lawsuit held.

In a written statement, Maday said: "I just want to be treated like every other girl in our school."

District 211 Superintendent, Dan Cates, said in a statement on Thursday, "allegations in the lawsuit misrepresent the accommodations extended to this student and District 211’s approach to working with and supporting transgender students."

Cates continued by saying, "Every transgender student in District 211 who has requested use of the locker room of their identified gender has been offered such access, along with other supports within an individual support plan."

"We will vigorously defend and protect compassionate, fair and equitable support for all students, and, at the same time, we continue to defend our supports for transgender students at the federal level," the superintendent added.

The report quoted Vicky Wilson of D211 Parents for Privacy, a group of parents who oppose such accommodations in District 211, as saying, "the student [Maday] is a biological male, and we separate these students by biology and anatomy for good reason."

"Schools have a duty to protect the well-being and dignity of all students," Wilson said.

The suburban Chicago school district was previously subjected to a complaint by a transgender student in 2013, publicly identified as Student A. The student wanted permission to use the girls' locker room. After an investigation, it was found that the district violated Title IX, a federal law which prohibits sexual discrimination.

In February, the Donald Trump administration issued new guidelines regarding washrooms which can be used by transgender students. This resulted in confusions in school and also displeased the LGBTQ right groups.

These guidelines rolled back the protections given to transgender students by a 2016 directive issued under former president Barack Obama's administration, which ordered schools to accommodate transgender students, and allow them to use the school facilities based on their gender identities.