A Missouri school district has to pay $4 million to a transgender student after refusing to allow him to use the boys' bathroo...
A Missouri school district has to pay $4 million to a transgender student after refusing to allow him to use the boys' bathrooms or locker rooms, a jury ruled Monday.
The Jackson County jury found the Blue Springs school district had discriminated against the student, identified as RJ Appleberry, who is now 21 and a college student, according to the Star-Observer.
Appleberry legally changed his name in 2010, when he was 10 years old - a year after he started to transition. He amended his birth certificate to show his gender and new name in 2014, when he was 14.
He sued the school a year later after filing a charge of discrimination with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights in late 2014.
Despite the state recognizing him as a boy, the school district denied Appleberry the ability to access the boys' locker rooms and bathrooms at both the Delta Woods Middle School and the Freshman Center, according to the lawsuit.
Appleberry, pictured, who is now in college, sued the school district a year later after filing a charge of discrimination with the Missouri Commission on Human Rights in late 2014
RJ Appleberry, a transgender student, picutred, was just awarded $4 million after being discriminated against by a Missouri school district
The Freshman Center at Blue Hills High School in Missouri, where transgender student RJ Appleberry attended and was not allowed to use boys' facilities
Appleberry even participated in boys' athletics and physical education in middle school, but was forced to use a single-person bathroom and not the boys' locker room.
The lawsuit claims that he did not participate in fall sports during the 2014-2015 school year at the Freshman Center due to being unable to use the boys' bathrooms or locker rooms.
'Defendants again denied (Appleberry) access to the boys' restrooms and locker rooms even though he is recognized as a boy under the laws of the state of Missouri,' the court document said according to Kansas City NBC-affiliate KSHB.
'Defendants continue to deny (Appleberry) access to the boys' restrooms and locker rooms as of the filing of this Petition,' the lawsuit added.
At the time Appleberry was still a student in the school district.
Appleberry was barred from using the school's boys' restrooms, pictured, despite legally changing his name in 2010 and his birth certificate to show his gender, new name in 2014
Appleberry participated in boys' athletics and physical education at Delta Woods Middle School, but was forced to use a single-person bathroom and not the boys' room
Legal documents show Appleberry felt singled out over the discriminatory treatment, and ultimately inferior to other boys in the school because of his exclusion, the outlet reported.
The district argued that it denied Appleberry access to boys' facilities because the student 'is alleged to have female genitalia.'
'Upon information and belief, Defendants do not speculate, inspect, or otherwise inquire as to the genitalia of other male students,' the lawsuit said.
'Defendants have discriminated and continue to discriminate against Plaintiff RMA based on his sex.'
In a statement, the Kansas City-area school district in Lee's Summit said that it disagreed with the jury's verdict, and would be 'seeking appropriate relief from the trial court and court of appeals if necessary.'
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