Tommy Theollyn's seven-year-old son -- who we'll
call "D." -- looks like a boy. While he was born
biologically female, D. feels, deep in his heart, that he is a boy
-- and wears boys' clothing and has short hair.
Tommy has done everything a caring parent would do to help a
child going through a potentially tough time. D. has been to a
psychologist and doctor, both of whom say that the right thing for Tommy to do
is allow D. to live as a boy.
So Tommy is trying to do just that for his
son. But there's one big problem: D. has been denied access to
the boys' restroom -- or a safe restroom -- at his elementary
school in Georgia. Since forcing D. to use the girls' restroom
effectively reveals that he is transgender to other children, this
decision seriously threatens D.'s safety. Which is why Tommy made the
heartbreaking decision to pull his son out of school.
But Tommy believes his son should have access to a safe
restroom at school. That's why Tommy started a petition on Change.org asking
the McIntosh County Board of Education in Georgia to allow D. to use
a safe restroom at school. Please sign Tommy's petition today --
and he will deliver your signatures to the board on September 15.
Before starting the school year, Tommy had spoken with
D.'s teacher about letting D. use the boys' restroom and thought the matter was
settled. But then Dr. William Hunter, McIntosh superintendent, decided to get
involved. Dr. Hunter said that D. had to use the girls' restroom, and
threatened to call Child Protective Services on Tommy for allowing D. to live
as a boy. Tommy tried to explain that he was acting on the advice of D.'s
doctors, but Dr. Hunter wasn't interested.
Now, more than 5,000 people have signed the
petition that Tommy started on Change.org. Tommy is scheduled to
speak at the next meeting of the McIntosh County Board of Education
on September 15.
Tommy says he's afraid of what might happen at that meeting,
as McIntosh isn't a place where LGBT rights have traditionally been
supported.
Tommy says that he feels stronger with every person who
signs his petition in support of his son. He wants the McIntosh Board
of Education to know that thousands of Americans stand with
D. and support his right to be exactly who he is.
Please sign Tommy's petition today asking the
McIntosh County Board of Education to allow his seven-year-old son to
have safe access to a restroom at school:
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