Minnesota Transgender Student Forbidden from Using Boys' Locker Room Gets $300,000+ Settlement

A transgender high school student in Minnesota recently scored a $300,000 settlement after suing his school district for discriminatory acts against him.

In Minnesota, a high school transgender student who was banned from using the boy's locker room has recently announced his triumph over the school.

In 2015 when the student, publicly identified as Nick H for safety reasons, came out as transgender, he was a swim team member in his school and had no issues with the school before coming out.

An American public school hallway. | Photo: Pixabay.

This was shortly before he started his freshman year, and without any complaints or problems, he was allowed to use the boys' changing room. However, come 2016, the school board discovered the change and decided to get involved.

The board soon banned Nick from using the boys' locker room and threatened to punish him if he went against their order. The young student was also ordered to use a segregated locker room. During a virtual briefing, his lawyer David McKinney said:

"This degrading treatment singled Nick out. It segregated him from his classmates and made him feel unwelcome and alone."

A teenage boy standing alone in a hallway and looking into the distance | Photo: Pixabay

This segregation led to Nick becoming a frequent victim of bullying. He started getting threats, which ultimately caused a lot of emotional trauma for the already stressed student. At some point, he got hospitalized.

Nick decided to sue the school, detailing the traumatizing ordeals he allegedly went through in his court details. The school board then agreed to settle the case, leaving Nick with a settlement of $300,000.

They also agreed to new school policies that will protect transgender students from now on. According to the school district, the issue had been resolved.

Nick described the experience as challenging as it forced him to relive some painful and embarrassing moments he would have preferred to leave in the past.

McKinney, a staff lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union, said that every child deserves to feel safe and valued for who they are, far away from such discriminatory acts.

A student on her laptop during online class. | Photo: Pixabay

Earlier this year, another triumphant story for the transgender community emerged in Missouri. A father of four, Brandon Boulware, went viral on the internet after some states resolved to ban transgender athletes from competing in schools.

Boulware, who has a trans daughter, passionately spoke out against this, encouraging others to let people, especially children, be who they want to be.

Boulware admitted that he first tried to force his daughter to be who she is not. He had her wear boy clothes and play male sports until he noticed how miserable she was.

When he finally let her be the girl she always wanted to be, the father emotionally confessed that the change was different. He knew that she was happy and appealed to lawmakers to allow others like her to be happy too.

The transgender community continues to grow and strengthen with people like Nick and Boulware sharing their inspiring stories. And it is obvious that these heroes are doing amazing work at making the world a better place, one school at a time.

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