Principal cries misrepresentation after transgender teen posts video of school staff unlocking stall to kick her out of girl's washroom
A transgender teen, studying at the Osseo Senior High in Minnesota posted a video online, showing how the administrators ordered her out of the girls’ washroom after using a yardstick to unlock a stall while she was sitting inside. The principal of the school has since come out and called the video a misrepresentation of the situation, without going into details about how it was a misrepresentation and what forced them to invade the student’s privacy.
The first part of the 2-part video posted on Wednesday shows the student, who goes by the name Cece Doll, sitting in one of the bathroom stalls, while the administrators repeatedly demanded that she exit the stall. When she refused, a female teacher uses what looks like a yardstick to reach over the door and forcibly unlocks the bolt on the inside of the stall. The video also shows visuals of male administrators and police officers who were present at the time.
“I'm using the bathroom right now and they just violated me,” the student says in the video, which has been shared close to 18K times. “This is the dude that violated me,” she says pointing at one of the men who were present. The video was shared with the caption, “SCHOOL OSSEO SEINOR HIGH.
Following the popularity of the video, the principal of Osseo issued a statement that claimed that no student had been barred from using any bathroom. “I am aware of social media posts that significantly misrepresent an incident that occurred at the school on Nov. 28. It's important for you to know that no students were barred or banned from using any bathroom at Osseo Senior High,” said Principal Michael Lehan, reiterating that the only time the staff forces open a bathroom stall is when there are safety concerns, health issues, and suspected illegal activity.
However, he did not clarify what the reason for barging into Cece Doll's stall was. "I sincerely wish I could say more, but for data privacy reasons, I cannot provide details about a situation involving a specific student," said Lehan. "What I hope you already know is that we work every day to create an inclusive school where students feel welcome and respected. Our staff regularly works with individual students and families who have varying needs, including needs related to identity."
