School Bans Trans Girl From Dance For Wearing Makeup and a Blouse

A Georgia school is on the defensive after a 13-year-old transgender student was removed from a Valentine's Day dance for wearing makeup and girls clothing, according to her mother.

Charissa Mehojah told the local ABC affiliate she's "livid" following the actions of Rick Creek School officials in southeastern Georgia. Mehojah said her daughter's outfit was innocuous -- black top, black slacks, and a rose in her hair -- and that she should not have been removed from the dance and then placed in the school library.

"She was crying and upset because this was the first time she was able to express who she is inside, in a public setting," Mehojah told the station. "Honestly, she was going to go in a dress, but she chose not to just in case it was going to be a problem."

A school counselor informed Mehojah her daughter was escorted from the dance because she was wearing a "costume." At a later meeting with the counselor and the school principal, Mehojah explained her daughter was transgender but she claims the principal demanded "medical proof." In a statement, the school said Mehojah was mistaken and that "'medical' was referenced when explaining the basis for certain policy exceptions."

The same statement claimed the school does not discriminate on the basis of "race, color, religion, and sexual orientation" but did not mention "gender identity."

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