MichiganRadio

High School students want more rights for their transgender peer ANN ARBOR, MI (Michigan Radio) - High school students across the country recently voted for their homecoming king and queen. But at Mona Shores High School near Muskegon the vote caused an unexpected controversy.

Oak Reed was born Oakleigh Reed seventeen years ago, but everyone at Mona Shores High School -- calls him Oak. Reed really likes his school he's outgoing, active in a variety of groups and clubs, and plays trumpet in the school marching band.

But while Reed wears the same tuxedo as all the boys in the band, during the game he uses the girl's restroom . That's because Reed is ONE among many transgender individuals. He lives his life feeling like he was born into the wrong body. Although anatomically female, he has never identified with being female.

Friends, family, and teachers all refer to Reed as "he". At school, he's been given male uniforms and treated like one of the guys.

Reed really felt accepted by everybody that's until this year's homecoming came around.

Oak Reed is not doing any interviews so we talked with Nick Schrier, one of Reed's friends and a fellow senior.

"The whole thing that prompted it is someone told Oak that a person like him couldn't be homecoming king or queen'. So, he kinda got a little upset and said, hey, why not vote for me' on his facebook status," says Schrier.

Soon enough votes for Reed as homecoming king started pouring in. So many that school officials got nervous and pulled the ballots.

"We don't think that we discriminated against anyone," says Babbitt.

That's superintendent Terry Babbitt. He says the ballot was clear, "Pick one girl for queen and one boy for king."

"There are statutory things that we can't change. For those that want to gain some more knowledge about this, you have to go find out what kind of protections that are offered transgender students. They are very limited if not absent," says Babbitt.

Babbitt says because Reed is registered as a female at the school, the school was legally required to disqualify Reed as a possible homecoming king. Jay Kaplan says there's nothing in the law that restricts Reed from eligibility. Kaplan is an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union. "We don't have a legal definition of what someone's gender is. In other words Michigan doesn't have a law that says, 'I'm legally male' or 'Your legally female'," says Kaplan.

Students at Mona Shores High were frustrated their Votes had been cast aside. So they organized a facebook group called, "OAK is my King" to show their support for Reed.

About a hundred of Reed's friends signed up for the facebook group initially. Within a few days more than ten thousand people from around the world had joined the group.

Jim Toy has been a civil rights advocate ever since he founded the nation's first transgender, bi, lesbian and gay program at the University of Michigan in 1971.

He says the students' votes at Mona Shores High School should be honored. Toy says students respect Reed as a male. They think he's eligible for homecoming king, therefore the school should too.

"If the students are being infantilized, 'Oh it's their vote, it doesn't count. It's only the opinion of adults that counts.' Then they're being disenfranchised," says Toy.

And students at Mona Shores High School agree. They want their votes to be counted and the school to make a public apology.

The ACLU of Michigan sent a letter to the superintendent on Reed's behalf asking the school to reconsider their decision and come up with a revised policy to deal with any similar issues in the future.

LINKS:
Facebook group Oak is my King started by students.

Website for Mona Shores Public Schools

Website for the American Civil Liberties Union in Michigan

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