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A transgender student with stage 4 kidney disease is suing the Cleveland County Schools system. The Kings Mountain High School student says that the school district has been discriminating against him.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, alleges that the school denied this student access to a bathroom that conforms with his gender identity.
The student began his gender transition before his freshman year, and his parents informed the school before then that he identified as male. They also requested that he be able to use the male restrooms.
The school denied the request and said that the student could only use the female restrooms.
“Because I am a boy I could not use the girls’ restroom comfortably and ended up avoiding the restroom for the entirety of the year,” said the teen in a sworn statement.
He said that the few times he had an emergency, he was laughed at. “They knew I was trans and made fun of me for having to use the girls’ restroom.”
After the student began testosterone treatment, the school allowed him to use the teachers’ restrooms. But the student said he’d get “looks” from the teachers when he did so. Doctors say this discomfort may have worsened his kidney condition.
“In addition to the escalation in his anxiety and distress that has resulted from Kings Mountain High School’s refusal to let John access the restroom on equal terms as other boys, John’s kidney function has also been compromised as a result of his lack of access to appropriate restroom facilities,” said Dr. Deanna Adkins in a court document.
Adkins, the pediatric endocrinologist director of the Duke Center for Child and Adolescent Gender Care, sent letters to the student’s school over the matter. She recommended that they allow him to use the boy’s restroom nearest to his classroom.
School Board Chairwoman Shearra Miller said, “We made an accommodation for the student that we felt was in the best interest of the student at the time.”
The superintendent of the school, Stephen Fisher, said that they take student needs like this on a “case by case” basis.
As part of the filing, the student’s lawyers requested a temporary restraining order. The order requires the school to allow the student access to the male bathroom. The request was approved by a judge through next Tuesday.
A hearing will be held on the full injunction on that day. A judge will decide whether to extend or deny the restraining order as the case continues.
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A woman from Berlin announced that she wants to marry a jumbo jet that she’s apparently been dating for the past six years, proving that love truly knows no bounds.
At least this hasn’t been a short-term relationship?
Michel Kobke says she’d like to marry her beloved Boeing 737-800 in the Netherlands at a ceremony later this year.
She first met her flame of a plane at the Berlin Tegel airport in 2014, and it was love at first flight. Kobke says of the first time she was able to embrace her metal man,
“The time in the hangar was the most beautiful moment of my life and when I was with him, we enjoyed our time together, we kissed and I caressed him.
“It’s like a normal relationship. We have relaxing evenings together and when we go to bed, we cuddle and fall asleep together,” she explained.
“I wish it was more accepted in society, there are always people who don’t accept it. I’m simply different and I stand for my love to my 737.”
Related: Study Proves That You Love Your Pet More Than You Love Other People
A horrific accident caused a cobbler to lose his thumb, but he didn’t let it keep him away from his passion.
It was last January when David Lee was hard at work trying to trim the heel of a shoe when his hand got snagged in the machine. The machine tore his right thumb off.
“I saw my thumb drop to the floor,” said Lee. “I had no pain though. I didn’t look initially as I compressed it with my jumper. I calmly turned the machines in the shop off.
“Straight away, I knew how bad it was and I just worried that I wouldn’t be able to fix shoes again,” he continued. “It all happened so fast, but I felt no pain at all and straight away just turned all the machines off and actually went outside for a [cigarette] while I waited for the ambulance.”
When doctors suggested removing his toe to replace his finger, Lee didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“I thought I’m never going to do my job again and I’m going to lose my business. It was a no-brainer going down this route,” he said.
“As a right-handed person, I wouldn’t have been able to do a lot of the job. I was really conscious of it to start with.”
Thanks to the pioneering surgery, Lee is now able to continue his work as a master cobbler.
Jill Arrowsmith, one of the two surgeons who did the operation, said, “He’s the first master cobbler I’ve ever met, so it’s really nice to hear that he’s back doing what he loves to do.”
Related: Deformed Toddler Gets Banned from Daycare
