Virginia high school suspends 2 boys who complained after trans-identified girl filmed them in male locker room

Two high school boys have been suspended in Virginia’s Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) after they questioned why a trans-identified female was in the male locker room at their school and expressed discomfort. 

According to ABC 7, LCPS launched a Title IX investigation into the Stone Bridge High School students after the two boys were captured on camera questioning the trans-identified female student’s presence in the locker room. The trans-identified student was the one filming, which was a violation of district policy. 

LCPS’s Title IX Office determined, after launching its investigation based on the video and the transgender student’s complaint, that the two boys were responsible for sexual harassment and sex-based discrimination, said attorney Josh Hetzler, who is representing the families. 

The two boys will face 10 days of suspension and a no-contact order, which includes not being in the same classes as the trans-identified female student. Hetzler said that the boys are also required to meet with school officials to determine a corrective action plan. 

One of the parents, Seth Wolfe, told the outlet, "I would say the first reaction was some anger, because we're just really concerned with all this stuff. [We're] saddened by the decision-making process and how that went."

Renae Smith, another parent, said, "[We're] absolutely floored that they came back and branded my son responsible for sexual harassment and sex based discrimination with no solid evidence whatsoever. We're talking about scarring him for life by a biased process that's supposed to protect fairness, but it's shocking. It's wrong, and it should terrify every single parent."

Smith said she pulled her son out of LCPS over the summer and moved away from Virginia. LCPS said that if her son did return to the school district, he would be suspended. Smith also expressed concerns over the determination being on his permanent academic record. Her son will be a junior in the fall, which is when high schoolers typically begin applying for college.

The Founding Freedoms Law Center, which is representing the families in the case, said that they would remain on the case until the determination is overturned.

Victoria Cobb, the President of the Family Foundation of Virginia, said, "The Founding Freedoms Law Center is working with our clients on next steps, but we are not going to let these boys go down without a fight, we're going to stand with them all the way till they are innocent. 

"We have to, as a commonwealth, fight back against this kind of thing. Our clients have done nothing wrong, and they deserve to be deemed innocent. We've seen time and time again that Loudoun County, if given the opportunity to do the right thing, will instead do the wrong thing. LCPS, once again, shows that it is willing to harm students in the name of woke ideology, while every student is harmed when they do things like deny federal funds to kids' education. These boys in particular are being made examples of what happens when someone crosses school indoctrination."

LCPS's policies allow students to use the restrooms and locker rooms based on their gender, not biological sex. LCPS was one of five Virginia school systems that the Department of Education determined were violating Title IX because of their locker room and bathroom policies. All five school systems said they would not change their policies, and the Department of Education is reportedly in the process of cutting their federal funding.