Parents of an 11-year-old girl in Colorado have filed a lawsuit against their local school district after the girl was allegedly placed in a hotel room with a biologically male student who identifies as transgender during an overnight school trip. The case, led by conservative legal group Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), argues that the Jefferson County Public Schools’ policy of rooming students based on gender identity rather than biological sex without parental consent violates the constitutional rights of parents and children.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, centers on a summer 2023 trip to cities like Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. According to the complaint, the girl learned she was sharing a bed with a transgender-identifying male student after the group was assigned to a two-bed room. The incident forced her to call her mother, who was serving as a chaperone, in the bathroom, according to the lawsuit.
The case comes as part of a broader legal and ethical debate over the rights of transgender students in public education. ADF, which advocates for religious liberty and parental rights, claims the district’s policy denies families the ability to decide how their children are housed, especially during overnight trips where physical privacy is a concern. The lawsuit also highlights other cases, including one where an 11-year-old boy was placed in a cabin supervised by a non-binary adult, which parents say violated the child’s privacy and safety.
Jefferson County Public Schools has not yet responded to requests for comment. However, the school district’s policy states that students may be assigned overnight accommodations based on gender identity. The complaint also states that the district does not allow families to opt out or request that their children room only with students of the same biological sex, further fueling the legal dispute.