A Southern California school district is changing course after initially telling girls they would need a mental health or religious exemption to avoid changing in front of biological boys in locker rooms.
The Temecula Valley Unified School District had proposed requiring middle school girls to seek a religious exemption or mental health accommodation to avoid sharing bathrooms and changing facilities with transgender students.
The controversy erupted after a male student began using the female locker room during P.E. at James L. Day Middle School, prompting a student walkout earlier this month. Three girls testified at a recent board meeting, with one explaining that she didn’t need a waiver because she wasn’t mentally ill or especially religious – she just wanted basic privacy.
