Coy Mathis, born as a boy; However she has acted like a child since she was 18 months old. While her brother was entertained playing with dinosaurs, she was playing with Barbie dolls. She hated her kid-designed backpack, she wanted to dress in tutus and princess dresses and she wanted to have her hair long. At the age of 4, she told her mother that something was wrong with her body.
This motivated her parents to consult with her pediatrician and a psychologist who recommended that they let her live her life as who she was. She was enrolled in primary school she showed up in girl’s clothes. Her classmates and teachers used female pronouns to refer to her, and she went to the girls’ bathroom. However, since December 2012, school officials told Coy’s parents that she could no longer use the girls’ bathrooms and ordered her to use the boys’ bathroom or the teachers’ or nursing bathroom.
Coy’s mother Kathryn Mathis said: “We want Coy to have the same educational opportunities as other Colorado students.”
This caused Coy’s parents to seek help from the (TLDEF’S) alleging that the school violated their rights. Since the Christmas holidays, Coy has been receiving schooling from her home.
Transgender youth, in particular, suffer from a disproportionate risk of depression.
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For TLDEF’S executive director, Michael Silverman, the main goal is for Coy to return to school. “We are hopeful that we can resolve this quickly, for Coy’s sake.”
Coy’s parents decided to make this fact public so that their position could be known on national television. At the same time, the school directors declared that they are convinced that they have acted in a reasonable and fair manner.
However, on December 12, lawyers for the district’s educational directorate argued that: “The district made the decision taking into account not only Coy, but also the other students in the building and their parents, as well as the future impact of a boy with male genitalia in a girls’ bathroom, as Coy grows up.”
While other students and teachers did not realize that Coy had male genitalia, the school maintained that it feared the situation between parents and students would become awkward.
“It would be much more psychologically damaging and detrimental if this problem arises at an age when students are facing social problems,” the educational leaders added in the letter.
Studies maintain that transgender youth in particular suffer from a disproportionate risk of depression, suicide, substance abuse, HIV and STDs.
Coy’s parents are concerned that educational policies are fueling stigma and bullying.
Kathryn Mathis concluded: “We have five children and I love them all very much. We want Coy to be able to go back to school to be with her teachers, friends, and siblings, but we are afraid to send her until we know that the school will treat her fairly. “She is only 6 years old, and we don’t want one of our daughter’s first experiences to be our community telling her that she is not good enough.”
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