Girl, 14, accuses Virginia school board of putting her in danger by letting boys use girls locker rooms after it was ordered to reinstate teacher suspended for refusing to use transgender children's pronouns

 An eighth grader in Virginia has slammed Loudoun County Public Schools for a policy she claims lets boys use girls locker rooms, putting female students in danger.

Jolene Grover, 14, spoke at the school district's board meeting on Tuesday to address its proposed policy 8040. She was pulled from a LCPS school last year by her mother, Fox News reported. 

'Two years ago, I was told policy 1040 was just an umbrella philosophy and you weren't going to allow boys into the girls' locker rooms. But here you are doing just that,' Grover said while wearing a shirt that read 'Woman is female.'

She continued: 'Everyone knows what a boy is – even you. Your proposed policies are dangerous and rooted in sexism. When woke kids ask me if I was a lesbian or a trans boy because I cut my hair short, it should tell you these modern identities are superficial.'


Jolene Grover, 14, spoke at the school district's board meeting on Tuesday to address its proposed policy 8350

Jolene Grover, 14, spoke at the school district's board meeting on Tuesday to address its proposed policy 8350

Grover, who is homeschooled, made her speech before the school board. She was pulled from a LCPS school last year by her mother

Grover, who is homeschooled, made her speech before the school board. She was pulled from a LCPS school last year by her mother

A draft of the proposed 8040 policy reads that 'students should be allowed to use the facility that corresponds to their gender identity,' as school district leaders move to make schools more inclusive for transgender students.

The new policy would follow on a previous one, numbered 1040, that committed make county schools safe and inclusive regardless of 'sexual orientation' and 'gender identity,' Fox News reported. 

Grover made further claims in her speech that 'boys are reading erotica in the classroom next to girls.' She did not offer further detail on that claim.

'You want to give them access to girls' locker rooms and you want to force girls to call those boys "she",' the teen said in the speech.

'You do this in the name of inclusivity while ignoring the girls who will pay the price. Your policies choose boys' wants over girls' needs.'


Grover told Fox News in an interview on Thursday that she feared the proposed rule would lead to girls getting harassed and assaulted.

The teen's comments come after Byron Tanner Cross, a gym teacher at Leesburg Elementary in the same school district, was suspended last month after giving a speech opposing the policy.

Cross, who claimed the policies went against his religion, has since been ordered to be reinstated by a judge, who pointed to free speech and religious liberty in his decision.

He was arguing over two policies put in place by the public school board: one mandating teachers use the pronouns a transgender child identifies with, and one allowing transgender kids to take part in sports with the gender they identify with. 

Cross was suspended from Leesburg Elementary after speaking out during a school board meeting against policies that would affirm the identity of transgender students

Cross was suspended from Leesburg Elementary after speaking out during a school board meeting against policies that would affirm the identity of transgender students

Christian PE teacher says he will refuse to affirm transgender kids
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The second one also allows kids to use the locker room and bathroom of the gender they identify with.

Cross, in his speech, said the policies 'defile the holy image of God' and constitute child abuse. 

He also cited a recent 60 Minutes investigation where Leslie Stahl interviewed a several young people who had transitioned, then regretted it and 'detransitioned' back to their original gender, sometimes after surgery. 

In his speech, Cross said: 'My name is Tanner Cross and I am speaking out of love for those who are suffering from gender dysphoria.

'60 Minutes recently interviewed over 30 young people who transitioned, but they felt led astray because of lack of pushback or how easy it was to make physical changes to their bodies… They are now de-transitioning.

'It's not my intention to hurt anyone, but there are certain truths that we must face when ready.

'We condemn school policies [that] would damage children, defile the holy image of God.

'I love all of my students but I will never lie to them regardless of the consequences.

'I'm a teacher but I serve God first and I will not affirm that a biological boy can be a girl and vice versa because it's against my religion.

'It's lying to a child, it's abuse to a child, and it's sinning against our God,' he said.

He was suspended afterwards with just about three weeks left in the school year and the school board said it was investigating his remarks.

Cross is pictured with his wife. She said they were grateful for the support he received

Cross is pictured with his wife. She said they were grateful for the support he received

Shawn Lacey, principal of Leesburg Elementary, sent an email to parents saying Cross had been put on leave.
Shawn Lacey, principal of Leesburg Elementary, sent an email to parents saying Cross had been put on leave.

Shawn Lacey, principal of Leesburg Elementary, sent an email to parents weeks ago saying Cross had been put on leave

Twelfth Circuit Judge James E. Plowman later ordered the school district to restore Cross' job.

'Defendants shall immediately reinstate the Plaintiff to his position as it was prior to the issuance of his suspension and remove the ban that was placed upon him from all buildings and grounds of Loudoun County Public Schools,' a letter from Plowman read.

Cross had filed a restraining order and temporary injunction, demanding his job back and asking that his views not be censored again. 

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other groups have long defended the inclusion of transgender students in bathrooms and sports. 

James Esseks, Director of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & HIV Project, wrote a 2016 blog post titled 'Anti-Trans Bathroom Bills Have Nothing to Do With Privacy and Everything To Do With Fear and Hatred.'

'As a threshold matter, no one is proposing letting boys into girls' bathrooms,' Esseks wrote. 

'Preying on misinformation about transgender people and calling trans girls boys, advocates for these harmful measures decry the fictitious end of sex-segregated spaces altogether.'

Esseks added: 'But even beyond the absurd distortions peddled in state legislatures across the country, these purported privacy justifications for unconstitutional government discrimination aren't remotely persuasive. It does not infringe anyone else's rights to share public space with those who are different.'

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