Tennessee parents sue school over trans student in girls’ sex-ed class
A group of parents in Williamson County, Tennessee, is suing the school district after a trans-identifying male student was allowed to join an all-girls sex education class.
The lawsuit targets…
A group of parents in Williamson County, Tennessee, is suing the school district after a trans-identifying male student was allowed to join an all-girls sex education class.
The lawsuit targets the Williamson County Board of Education and Legacy Middle School Principal Alicia Justice. Three sets of parents of 8th-grade girls say the school violated Tennessee law when it allowed a biological male student to attend a girls-only “Family Life” sex-ed course based on his transgender self-identification.
According to the complaint, 13 girls opted out of the second day of the state-required course after being made to feel uncomfortable by the boy’s presence during discussions on reproductive anatomy.
The lawsuit argues the male student’s inclusion contradicted school policy to keep the classes sex-segregated and violated Tennessee’s “Accommodations for All Children Act,” which mandates that sex be defined by biological anatomy.
“This is a case where a local middle school failed to comply with what was told to parents and failed to follow state law,” said state Rep. Gino Bulso, R-Franklin, the attorney representing the parents and the lawmaker who authored the statute at the heart of the case.
“The statute makes clear that in Tennessee, we have two sexes, male and female. A boy who identifies as a girl is still a boy under state law, and the school was not at liberty to disregard that.”
The suit also criticizes school counselor Kristen Trudeau, a pro-LGBTQ activist, for allegedly displaying hostility to the girls who opted out of attending class the second day.
Legal filings describe how Trudeau, whose side business offers counseling sessions focused on “sexual identity, polyamory, kink, consensual non-monogamy, and BDSM practices,” made clear she was displeased with the girls through her “body language and facial expressions.”
The school district has declined to comment, citing pending litigation. The court has yet to respond to a request to block similar future incidents, which is among the remedies the plaintiffs are seeking.
This case is not Rep. Bulso’s first high-profile clash with Williamson County Schools. In 2023, he sued the district over books in school libraries containing graphic content. He also sponsored legislation barring trans-identifying athletes from competing against the opposite sex.
