蜜桃传媒

The bullying and harassment began for Destin Holmes on the first day of class at Magnolia Junior High School 鈥� and it never let up.

Destin, who identifies as a lesbian, often wore baggy jeans, polo shirts and baseball caps to class at the school in Moss Point, Miss. She was simply being herself. Destin鈥檚 teachers and classmates made her miserable for it.

For the first three days she was enrolled at the Gulf Coast school, she was repeatedly referred to as 鈥渉e鈥� by teachers, even though she repeatedly told them that she was a 鈥渟he.鈥�

Throughout the school year, teachers and students called her 鈥渋t,鈥� 鈥渜ueer鈥� and 鈥渉e-she.鈥� Teachers denied Destin access to the girls鈥� restroom. One teacher even refused to allow her to participate in a classroom activity where teams were divided by gender.

The teacher鈥檚 reason? Destin was 鈥渋n between.鈥�

It was part of a pattern of harassment of LGBT students that led the Southern Poverty Law Center to demand that the Moss Point School District take immediate action to end the pervasive anti-gay bullying and harassment of students, such as Destin, or face a federal lawsuit.

When Destin鈥檚 father talked to a principal about the harassment, he was told that 鈥渋f she鈥檚 going to dress like a boy, she鈥檚 going to be treated like a boy.鈥� The harassment took such a toll that Destin contemplated suicide. She finally left the school after a March 2012 meeting during which a principal told her, 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want a dyke in this school.鈥�

鈥淚 just wanted to be able to attend school and get a decent education,鈥� said Destin, 16. 鈥淏ut being constantly tormented because I鈥檓 gay made going to school a nightmare. I had to leave.鈥�

Destin is now home-schooled by her grandmother.

The 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 demand, stated in a letter sent to district officials today, comes after students asked the organization to investigate rampant harassment within the district鈥檚 schools. The investigation found that students 鈥� and even faculty members 鈥� have regularly targeted LGBT students and those perceived as LGBT.

鈥淪tudents face enough obstacles in school without also enduring violence and abuse for simply being different,鈥� said Sam Wolfe, senior staff attorney for the 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 LGBT Rights Project. 鈥淭hey are entitled by law to attend school in an environment where they are not singled out and tormented because of their sexual orientation or gender nonconformity.鈥�

The letter notes that school officials 鈥渞outinely ignore severe and pervasive anti-LGBT harassment.鈥� School officials often blame students for the harassment they have experienced 鈥� even punishing them for defending themselves. Several LGBT students said school administrators told them to simply 鈥渟uck it up鈥� after they reported bullying.

The letter describes how the district鈥檚 anti-gay hostility violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution by singling out a group of students for 鈥渄isfavored treatment based on their membership in an unpopular minority.鈥� It also notes that the district is violating a state law that requires school authorities to protect students who may be perceived as disruptive when they are merely responding to harassment.

The 蜜桃传媒 has worked to ensure respectful school environments for all students, including LGBT children and teens, across the country. Last year, it reached a settlement agreement to address anti-LGBT bullying in Minnesota鈥檚 largest school district, the Anoka-Hennepin School District. Earlier this month, its Teaching Tolerance project released , a guide to help school communities take effective action on behalf of LGBT students.

The 蜜桃传媒 also has produced a classroom documentary and teaching kit, , which is available free of charge to every school that requests it.

鈥淏ullying and harassment remains a serious problem in too many school communities across the South,鈥� said Vanessa Carroll, senior staff attorney for the 蜜桃传媒鈥檚 Mississippi office. 鈥淭he Moss Point School District must take serious steps to change this toxic environment before more students are pushed out of school or hurt.鈥�