Nearly 200 students walked out of a Missouri high school on Monday because Lila Perry was changing in the girl’s locker room.
While Caitlyn Jenner and other transgender celebrities have been greeted with almost universal acceptance, the road has been far rockier for transgender individuals such as Perry, the 17-year-old senior who is navigating new terrain at Hillsboro High School.
“It wasn’t too long ago white people were saying, ‘I don’t feel comfortable sharing a bathroom with a black person,’ and history repeats itself,” Perry told Fox2.
The nearly two-hour protest featured both those opposed to Perry using ladies’ facilities and those who supported her right to do so.
“I’m not going to hurt their daughters,” said Perry, addressing concerned parents. “I’m not going to expose myself. I’m not a pervert. I’m a transgender woman. I’m a girl. I’m just in there to change, do my business, and that if they have any questions about being transgender, they are more than welcome to talk to me, and I’ll be happy to explain it.”
Perry was stuck in the principal’s office – the school says for her safety – while her classmates debated her rights – and theirs.
Part of the issue is that while Perry identifies as transgender, she still has male genitalia. Perry wears a wig and female clothing, but hasn’t undergone any medical operations to transform her body.
“I find it offensive because Lila has not went through any procedure to become female,” student Sophie Beel told Fox2. “Putting on a dress and putting on a wig is not transgender to me.”
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