Oklahoma School Shuts Down After Parents Threatened to Beat, Mutilate 12-Year-Old Trans Student
An Oklahoma school remains closed after parents made violent threats against a 12-year-old girl because she is transgender.
The student, named Maddie, has identified as female since moving to Achille, a town of less than 500, in the fifth grade. Her mother, Brandy, says there hadn’t been any problem until a classmate accused Maddie of peeping under a stall in the girl’s bathroom.
“My daughter leans very far forward to use the bathroom,” Brandy told KXII Channel 12. “I can understand why someone seeing her lean forward would think, ‘OMG, she’s trying to look under.’”
After that incident Maddie began using the staff bathroom. But this week, she began classes at Achille High School and didn’t know where the teachers’ bathroom was. “Before she was able to be told she had to pee, so she used the girl’s bathroom one single time,” explains Brandy.
That’s all it took for Achille parent Jamie Crenshaw to post a now-deleted “warning” to a private Achille Facebook group. In response, some respondents referred to Maddie as Maddie “It,” “maggot” and “thing.”
Others threatened to beat her up in the bathroom or even stab her. “If he wants to be a female, make him a female,” read one message. “A good sharp knife will do the job really quick.”
Brandy says Maddie is frightened — and so is she. “That’s a threat against her life – that’s scary. These are adults making threats – I don’t understand it.” She has filed a protective order against Jamie Crenshaw’s husband, Burney, and KXII reports the FBI is investigating to see if any of the comments constitute a hate crime.
On recommendation of the Bryan County Sheriff, the Oklahoma school is remaining closed at least until Wednesday. A rally in support of Maddie has been scheduled for today.
