Pennsylvania high school students held a walkout protesting a district policy permitting transgender individuals assigned as males at birth to use their chosen restroom, causing discomfort and insecurity among many girls.
Last Friday, numerous students from the Perkiomen Valley School District staged a walkout as the school board rejected a policy mandating students to use restrooms based on their biological sex.
This is what it takes. More of this. Nicely done! https://t.co/F5yeFyf8IP
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) September 19, 2023
John Ott, the student who coordinated the walkout, explained in a recent Fox News interview, “Kids were upset. Girls…we wanted to protect them. They were upset. They didn’t want men in their bathroom.”
Stephanie Ott, John’s mother, expressed concerns that the school district might be favoring transgender students without considering the broader perspective.
Monday, on Fox & Friends First, she said, “The safety of females is so important, and these students that stood out that walked out, they are to be commended. They have courage, and they exercise their First Amendment rights. This is about protecting our children and our privacy and boys and girls. It’s simple biology.”
The district rejected Policy 720, which had been proposed following a father’s social media post about his daughter’s emotional distress after encountering a transgender biological male in the school restrooms.
Another student from Perkiomen Valley, Victoria Rudolph, expressed to Fox News the need for changes because having biological males in the girls’ restroom makes many students feel “uncomfortable.”
Rudolph said, “There needs to be some changes. It’s just uncomfortable seeing 19-year-old men or 18-year-old men in the bathroom.”
Another student, Brandon Emery, said, “It makes me feel as if it’s me and my sister and the rest of us students’ rights are now compromised and not a priority to this school whatsoever.”
Melanie Marren, Emery’s mother, shared her concerns with “Fox & Friends First” host Todd Piro, emphasizing that policies are being made without considering how they impact students. She highlighted the added discomfort teenagers face due to the invasion of their privacy in areas where they should feel safe and secure.
When Fox News asked for comment, the president of the Perkiomen Valley School Board responded, saying, “Although I voted differently than the majority of the board, as board president, I respect the outcome of the vote and those who voted against expediting the policy. I also appreciate our student body, those who came to our previous board meeting to vote and the 300+ students who used their First Amendment right to voice their opinion in favor of the policy during their protest on Friday.”
