The Southern Poverty Law Center has filed suit against the Moss Point school district in Mississippi Federal Court charging anti-LGBT bullying, harassment and discrimination against LGBT students.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Destin Holmes, a district student who endured such severe harassment she was eventually driven out of school. She temporarily left the district in March 2012 to be homeschooled after the then-principal at Magnolia Junior High School called her a “pathetic fool” and told her, “I don’t want a dyke in this school.”
The Complaint can be found here
"I deserve to go to a school where students, and especially the teachers, don't call me names," Holmes said.
Destin was called "it" "queer", "he-she" and denied access to the girls bathroom.
Throughout the school year, teachers and students called her “it,” “queer” and “he-she.” Teachers denied Destin access to the girls’ restroom. One teacher even refused to allow her to participate in a classroom activity where teams were divided by gender.
How will the School District respond to this lawsuit, let's hope this will top the list of priorities for Moss Point, Mississippi and every state in America.
Moss Point School District officials sent WLOX this statement in response to the lawsuit:
"The district has not been served with the lawsuit. Since this is a matter in litigation, we cannot speak to the specifics of the claims. Protecting our students from acts of bullying, harassment, intimidation and threats by any individual is our highest priority. The district has in place policies and procedures to ensure that our students are free from discrimination and bullying. We, as most districts across the nation, try to ensure that students in our schools are safe and secure.
So, this is how LGBT students are treated when no one is watching, bully kids to the point where they feel there is no safe space, no safe place but suicide. Life begins here. And life begins when we protect our children from bullies foreign and domestic.
Speak on it Destin
For her part, Destin said she hoped that school officials would “open up their mind and realize you don’t need to bully somebody just because they want to date girls or they want to be gay, or they want to be lesbian, or bi, or a transgender. I’m hoping it will just stop.”