America First Legal (AFL), in partnership with Consovoy McCarthy PLLC, has filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) on behalf of two AACPS parents, John and Jane Doe, alleging that the district secretly facilitated their minor child’s social “gender transition” at school without their notice or consent.
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AACPS has adopted and maintained Policy JQ, Regulation JQ-RA, and a related guidance document that direct school staff to support a student’s asserted “gender identity” at school without requiring parental notice or consent. These policies also instruct staff to conceal material information from parents and fail to provide an opt-out or exemption provision for parents.
John and Jane Doe’s minor child, Mary Doe, is enrolled at an AACPS school. Under AACPS policies, school staff have encouraged and assisted Mary in adopting a male identity at school without informing her parents or seeking their consent. No one from AACPS contacted the Does to disclose that Mary was being socially transitioned at school, and no one sought the Does’ permission before facilitating that transition.
The Does discovered what AACPS was doing only because two separate staff members inadvertently disclosed the use of Mary’s “self-selected” male name. Last year, when emailing the Does about one of Mary’s classes, a staff member referred to Mary by a male name. When the Does asked about the male name, the staff member initially claimed that Mary had been confused with another student. Only after the Does continued asking questions did the staff member admit that Mary had requested to be referred to by a male name.
Several months later, the Does had a nearly identical experience with another AACPS staff member who, in a separate communication, referred to Mary by the same male name. When the Does questioned the use of that name, the second staff member repeated the same lie that the first had stated, and only admitted it was a lie after the Does pressed for the truth.
The Does have consistently told AACPS that Mary should not be referred to by any name other than her legal name. AACPS has not only ignored this demand but also outright refused to abide by it, claiming that its gender identity policies are “the law” and that school staff must follow them.
AFL’s lawsuit alleges that AACPS’s policies and practices violate the United States and Maryland Constitutions by excluding parents from critical decisions about their children’s upbringing, education, and religious formation. It further alleges that AACPS’s facilitation of Mary’s social “gender transition” without parental notice or consent unlawfully interferes with the Does’ fundamental parental rights.
“AACPS wrongly believes that it has greater authority than parents to control and direct the upbringing of students,” said Ian Prior, Senior Counsel at America First Legal. “AFL is eager and willing to correct this notion. Parents have a fundamental right to know what is happening with their children at school, and they have every right to stop government officials from pushing radical gender ideology on their children. AFL is proud to stand with the Does as they fight to protect their daughter and vindicate their constitutional rights.”
Read the full complaint here.
Learn more about this case here.
