The school system finally updated Audrey's records to reflect her true gender. Watching her see her name and marker correctly listed for the first time was the relief we fought so hard for. We will keep watching to ensure no other student has to spend their senior year fighting just …
March 31, 2016
Final supporters
Audrey Boytim is a transgender senior at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Maryland. After months of struggling with the Howard County Board of Ed, her name was finally changed from her birthname in the system, meaning the correct name Audrey is now listed on her report cards and other official HCPSS documents.
However, they are refusing to change her gender marker from M to F, saying that she needs to have gone through sex reassignment surgery in order to be officially considered female, despite her having started HRT (hormone replacement therapy) over three months ago. She also has her parents' full permission to change her gender marker, and the school is still not allowing it.
According to the Standards section of HCPSS Policy 9020 on Student's Rights and Responsibilities in subsection B: Safe and Supportive Environment, (found here:http://www.hcpss.org/f/board/policies/9020.pdf) "students have the right to learn in a safe and supportive environment that fosters hope, engagement, and well-being for all." By refusing to change Audrey's gender marker in their system, HCPSS is denying Audrey the right to learn in an environment that is supportive of her gender and confirms her safety from the harassment of other students. As a senior, Audrey is already extremely stressed with her workload and upcoming end-of-the-year events, including prom and graduation. No student deserves the added on stress of questioning whether or not her school and county will support her with something as simple as her gender.
This petition is to the administration of Wilde Lake High School and the Howard County Board of Education so that Audrey's correct gender may officially be recognized by her classmates, teachers, and school, and so that she doesn't face as much discrimination as she would without her gender and pronouns being changed. We demand that her gender marker be changed from M to F and that the school administration enforce her teachers using feminine pronouns.
I would also like to extend this petition on the behalf of every trans student in the Howard County Public School System. I personally have heard stories about how other schools in Howard illegally discriminate against trans students because of their gender, and how it causes them stress and anxiety on a daily basis. Just like Audrey, no student deserves the stress of questioning whether their school and county will support them with something as simple as their gender.
UPDATE 3/17: I removed the section about Audrey's pronouns as we were both informed that her teachers will now be encouraged to use feminine pronouns when referring to her. I also added more information to support our argument of why she deserves to have her gender marker changed and expanded the petition to include the rights of trans students anywhere in Howard County.
Updates
March 18, 2016
Seeing one hundred people recognize how much this matters for Audrey feels like a massive weight off my shoulders. I never thought so many people would care about her right to exist authentically at school.
Reached 250 supporters
March 17, 2016
Reached 100 supporters
March 16, 2016
March 14, 2016
Audrey is exhausted by these administrative hurdles and I refuse to let her fight this alone. We are headed toward 250 signatures and I need you to pass this link to two people who will add their names right now.
83 Comments
HCPSS, as the mom of a Wilde Lake Middle schooler, I expect better out of you. Do not make school a hostile place for Audrey or set her up to be the target of bullies.
Why not just help this kid be more comfortable? How does it benefit anyone to make her uncomfortable? These kind of requests are not made lightly. High school is hard enough--no need to make it worse.
As a member of the LGBT community in Howard County, I myself have always been deeply frustrated by the stiffness of policy regarding gender marking in the county. I would love to see a little more forward-thinking action from the Board of Ed on this issue.
Audrey is a close friend of mine and she deserves to have her rights. She is a girl, that is her gender. The fact that they won't accept that is ridiculous. She's working really hard to make Howard County schools a safe and respectful place for trans youth and I really believe she can do it.
How can you say that you're a school system that values diversity when you don't take into account each student's personal choices? Body parts don't determine gender. The student determines their gender.
Howard County needs to step up it's game. I have no idea why it bothers the system so much to change it. Keep fighting!
You go girl!!!
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The school system finally updated Audrey's records to reflect her true gender. Watching her see her name and marker correctly listed for the first time was the relief we fought so hard for. We will keep watching to ensure no other student has to spend their senior year fighting just …
March 31, 2016
Final supporters
Audrey Boytim is a transgender senior at Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Maryland. After months of struggling with the Howard County Board of Ed, her name was finally changed from her birthname in the system, meaning the correct name Audrey is now listed on her report cards and other official HCPSS documents.
However, they are refusing to change her gender marker from M to F, saying that she needs to have gone through sex reassignment surgery in order to be officially considered female, despite her having started HRT (hormone replacement therapy) over three months ago. She also has her parents' full permission to change her gender marker, and the school is still not allowing it.
According to the Standards section of HCPSS Policy 9020 on Student's Rights and Responsibilities in subsection B: Safe and Supportive Environment, (found here:http://www.hcpss.org/f/board/policies/9020.pdf) "students have the right to learn in a safe and supportive environment that fosters hope, engagement, and well-being for all." By refusing to change Audrey's gender marker in their system, HCPSS is denying Audrey the right to learn in an environment that is supportive of her gender and confirms her safety from the harassment of other students. As a senior, Audrey is already extremely stressed with her workload and upcoming end-of-the-year events, including prom and graduation. No student deserves the added on stress of questioning whether or not her school and county will support her with something as simple as her gender.
This petition is to the administration of Wilde Lake High School and the Howard County Board of Education so that Audrey's correct gender may officially be recognized by her classmates, teachers, and school, and so that she doesn't face as much discrimination as she would without her gender and pronouns being changed. We demand that her gender marker be changed from M to F and that the school administration enforce her teachers using feminine pronouns.
I would also like to extend this petition on the behalf of every trans student in the Howard County Public School System. I personally have heard stories about how other schools in Howard illegally discriminate against trans students because of their gender, and how it causes them stress and anxiety on a daily basis. Just like Audrey, no student deserves the stress of questioning whether their school and county will support them with something as simple as their gender.
UPDATE 3/17: I removed the section about Audrey's pronouns as we were both informed that her teachers will now be encouraged to use feminine pronouns when referring to her. I also added more information to support our argument of why she deserves to have her gender marker changed and expanded the petition to include the rights of trans students anywhere in Howard County.
Updates
March 18, 2016
Seeing one hundred people recognize how much this matters for Audrey feels like a massive weight off my shoulders. I never thought so many people would care about her right to exist authentically at school.
Reached 250 supporters
March 17, 2016
Reached 100 supporters
March 16, 2016
March 14, 2016
Audrey is exhausted by these administrative hurdles and I refuse to let her fight this alone. We are headed toward 250 signatures and I need you to pass this link to two people who will add their names right now.
83 Comments
Howard County Schools must support the transitions of transgender students by changing the gender in the records and that staff address the students by when it is clear that the change is intended to be permanent. The evidence is overwhelming in this case and failure to do so is egregious.
HCPSS, as the mom of a Wilde Lake Middle schooler, I expect better out of you. Do not make school a hostile place for Audrey or set her up to be the target of bullies.
Why not just help this kid be more comfortable? How does it benefit anyone to make her uncomfortable? These kind of requests are not made lightly. High school is hard enough--no need to make it worse.
As a member of the LGBT community in Howard County, I myself have always been deeply frustrated by the stiffness of policy regarding gender marking in the county. I would love to see a little more forward-thinking action from the Board of Ed on this issue.
Audrey is a close friend of mine and she deserves to have her rights. She is a girl, that is her gender. The fact that they won't accept that is ridiculous. She's working really hard to make Howard County schools a safe and respectful place for trans youth and I really believe she can do it.
How can you say that you're a school system that values diversity when you don't take into account each student's personal choices? Body parts don't determine gender. The student determines their gender.
Howard County needs to step up it's game. I have no idea why it bothers the system so much to change it. Keep fighting!
You go girl!!!
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Howard County Schools must support the transitions of transgender students by changing the gender in the records and that staff address the students by when it is clear that the change is intended to be permanent. The evidence is overwhelming in this case and failure to do so is egregious.