Alleged harassment causes 11-year-old transgender athlete to drop lawsuit against Hanover School Board
HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The lawsuit filed against the Hanover County School Board on behalf of an 11-year-old transgender girl who wanted to play on her school's tennis team has been dropped, as the child was pulled from Hanover County Public Schools due to allegations of ongoing harassment. The federal Title IX lawsuit, originally filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia, claimed that a transgender middle schooler known in court documents as "Janie Doe" was barred from playing on the girl's tennis team because of her gender identity. After she tried out and qualified, she was denied the ability to play following a unanimous vote by the school board. According to court documents, Janie's birth certificate has said she is female since she was between seven and eight years old. She has a gender dysphoria diagnosis, has been receiving treatment for years and is on puberty blockers, which have prevented a male puberty. Previously, in August, a federal judge ordered that Janie be allowed to play while the court case continued, saying that she had a likelihood of winning the suit and that making her wait until its resolution would cause her "irreparable harm," while not doing any harm to the school board. PREVIOUS: ‘It’s about an 11-year-old girl who loves tennis,’ Judge rules transgender student can play on girls team amid lawsuit in Hanover On Nov. 14, a motion to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit was filed on behalf of Janie by her parents, identified as "Jill Doe" and "John Doe" in court documents. In that motion, her parents state that they wish to drop the suit because she has been pulled from Hanover County Public Schools. "Janie is no longer enrolled in Hanover County Public Schools due to ongoing harassment and concerns about her safety," the motion reads. "The counts in her complaint are therefore moot." On Nov. 15, a judge granted this motion and dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice.
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HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- The lawsuit filed against the Hanover County School Board on behalf of an 11-year-old transgender girl who wanted to play on her school's tennis team has been dropped, as the child was pulled from Hanover County Public Schools due to allegations of ongoing harassment.
The federal Title IX lawsuit, originally filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Virginia, claimed that a transgender middle schooler known in court documents as "Janie Doe" was barred from playing on the girl's tennis team because of her gender identity. After she tried out and qualified, she was denied the ability to play following a unanimous vote by the school board.
According to court documents, Janie's birth certificate has said she is female since she was between seven and eight years old. She has a gender dysphoria diagnosis, has been receiving treatment for years and is on puberty blockers, which have prevented a male puberty.
Previously, in August, a federal judge ordered that Janie be allowed to play while the court case continued, saying that she had a likelihood of winning the suit and that making her wait until its resolution would cause her "irreparable harm," while not doing any harm to the school board.
On Nov. 14, a motion to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit was filed on behalf of Janie by her parents, identified as "Jill Doe" and "John Doe" in court documents. In that motion, her parents state that they wish to drop the suit because she has been pulled from Hanover County Public Schools.
"Janie is no longer enrolled in Hanover County Public Schools due to ongoing harassment and concerns about her safety," the motion reads. "The counts in her complaint are therefore moot."
On Nov. 15, a judge granted this motion and dismissed the lawsuit without prejudice.
