Right-Wing Group: Presence of Trans Student in Girls' Restroom Is 'Harassment'

False reports have been circulating of harassment by a transgender girl at a Colorado high school, and now a conservative group says she's committing harassment simply by using the girls' restroom.

Trudy Ring

Trudy Ring is The Advocate’s senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she’s interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud “old movie weirdo” and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and ’40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.

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Trudy Ring

October 18 2013 8:20 PM EST

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An anti-LGBT group has essentially admitted that reports of a transgender student was harassing others at a Colorado school were fabricated, saying the mere presence of the student in the girls' restroom constituted harassment.

The Pacific Justice Institute, which works against LGBT rights, issued a statement this week to transgender rights group TransAdvocate, saying in part, "It is our position that the intrusion of a biological male into a restroom for teenage girls is inherently intimidating and harassing."

Several right-wing news outlets had picked up the story, but administrators at Florence High School said no incidents of harassment had been reported -- one parent had merely brought up their fears of harassment to school officials and the media.