A rural Georgia school district backed down from its transgender activism after parents flooded a meeting to protest opening up bathrooms and showers according to "gender identity" rather than biological sex.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, explained that Jasper, Georgia has only about 3,800 residents, so "it was a big deal when 900 of those people squeezed into the Pickens County High auditorium determined to stop Jasper from becoming the next stop in the march for transgender bathrooms."
He noted residents "already had made accommodations for the two students who identified as another gender, setting up single-person restrooms for anyone who wanted them."
But the students "weren't satisfied with that compromise" and demanded to use the facilities for the opposite sex, which would violate the privacy rights of the other students.
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"In a fiery meeting that pit Supt. Carlton Wilson against most of the town, moms and dads like Nathan Barfield were furious that his two children are being made uncomfortable because a handful of students want access to any bathroom," Perkins said.
"Most people won't say anything because they fear retaliation," Barfield fumed. "[But] accommodations have already been made for transgender students. This is nothing but a political stunt to gain attention!"
Perkins said "raucous applause" and "amens" followed.
"In places like the U.K., where this sort of gender free-for-all is commonplace, parents are distraught about the rise in their kids' anxiety," he wrote. "Some girls are staying home so they don't have to use the bathrooms with boys. Others are risking bladder infections by not drinking. Here in the U.S., even liberal parents are calling it a 'bathroom crisis.'"
He said the parents in Jasper were "fortunate."
"Wilson saw the outpouring of opposition and reconsidered. But despite all the Trump administration has done to put these decisions back in communities' hands, there will always be a small army of activists who try to slip this indoctrination into your district," he said.
People magazine reported the district blamed "death threats and student harassment" for its decision to back down on opening its sex-specific facilities to anyone.
It didn't specify the threats and harassment.
The district said it would "return to bathroom procedures in place at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year until it can consult with law enforcement and other safety professionals so that these concerns may be addressed."
"We ask that all of our stakeholders exercise patience and discretion until these matters can be resolved."
President Obama signed an order requiring public schools to allow students to use such facilities according to "gender identity" if they want to continue receiving federal funds. But President Trump, on taking office, immediately reversed the order.
Activists, nevertheless, continue to take the issue to court, and both sides have received favorable rulings.