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(Image source: Mathis Family)
BY JASMINE BAILEY
A six-year-old transgender Colorado girl won a civil rights lawsuit after her public school
decided she could not use the girls' bathroom.
First-grader, Coy Mathis who was born male, has identified as female since age four. Coy's
parents say they first started noticing when she was about 18-months-old. (Via KDVR)
Coy's Mother: "Of course at the time our thought was that she was a little boy that liked girls
things. And it wasn't until she started becoming depressed and anxious that we knew there was
something going on and took her to medical professionals." (Via KMGH)
When Coy was four a psychologist confirmed she was transgender and her parents say they
let her, quote: "be who she was". Coy started kindergarten at Eagleside Elementary School
in Fountain, Colorado.
Her transition into school went smoothly and she was initially allowed to use the girls'
bathroom. But then Coy's parents got a call from the school's principal to discuss Coy's
future. (Via Daily Mail)
Coy's Father: "It came out that Coy was no longer going to be able to use the girls'
restroom, they were going to require her to use the boy's room or the staff bathroom or
the bathroom for the sick children." (Via Katie)
Coy's parents decided to withdraw her and their other children from the school and begin
homeschooling. In a statement, the school district said it was focusing on the future
as Coy begins to grow older and develop.
"... I'm certain you can appreciate that, as Coy grows older and his male genitals develop
along with the rest of his body, at least some parents and students are likely to become
uncomfortable with his continued use of the girls' restroom." (Via CNN)
But when the family took the matter to court, the Colorado Civil Rights Division ruled in
favor of Coy — claiming the school district violated the state's 2008 anti-discrimination
statute. (Via The New York Times)
...which states restroom access must coincide with the individual's "gender identity, rather
than their assigned gender at birth."
"We want her to have the same opportunities as all of the other children and we want her
to be able to go back to school and be treated equally without discrimination." (Via KKTV)
The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Mathis
family and said, in a statement, the ruling is not only a big step for Coy, but also holds
great meaning for the entire transgender community.
"This is the first ruling in the nation holding that transgender students must be allowed
to use bathrooms that match who they are, and the most comprehensive ruling ever supporting
the rights of transgender people to access bathrooms without harassment or discrimination."
The laws protecting transgender people vary from state to state. Currently 17 states and
the District of Columbia have some form of legal protection.