Woman claims daughter was sex trafficked after school concealed gender transition.
A Mother’s Lawsuit Exposes School’s Alleged Role in Daughter’s Trauma
A woman has filed a lawsuit against a Virginia school district, claiming that its covert support of her daughter’s gender identity change led to her being threatened, bullied, and ultimately trafficked by sexual predators.
Michele Blair, the biological grandmother and adoptive mother of 16-year-old Sage Blair, alleges in the lawsuit (pdf) filed in August that staff at Appomattox County High School directed Sage, who has a history of mental health issues and early childhood trauma, to change her name and pronouns and use the boys’ bathroom, all without Mrs. Blair’s knowledge.
While attending school as a boy named “Draco,” Sage faced abuse from other students due to the staff’s actions, according to Mrs. Blair.
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“She was being verbally, physically, and sexually harassed, with constant threats of rape from the male students, and despite this, the school still encouraged her to use the boys’ bathroom,” Mrs. Blair said.
The lawsuit names two counselors, Dena Olsen and Avery Via, as well as Maryland public defender Aneesa Khan, as defendants. It alleges that Ms. Olsen and Mr. Via concealed Sage’s transition and engaged in inappropriate psychotherapy methods to reinforce her belief that she was a boy, leading to increased trauma and her decision to run away in August 2021.
Sage, identified as “S.B.” in the lawsuit, was kidnapped, drugged, and raped by an adult male who then transported her to Washington. There, she was left with two brothers who also drugged and raped her before taking her to Maryland, where she was left with a registered sex offender and subsequently trafficked to other men, according to the lawsuit.
Law enforcement found a note from Sage to her parents, expressing fear and warning them about the dangerous situation she was in.
‘An Ideological Agenda’
Although law enforcement rescued Sage on September 2, 2021, Mrs. Blair was not allowed to take her home. Ms. Khan, assigned as Sage’s public defender, alleged neglect at home, supported by Ms. Olsen and Mr. Via, who claimed that Mrs. Blair and her husband did not acknowledge Sage as a male.
“She went with her own ideological agenda because of her belief that I was not adequately supporting Sage,” Mrs. Blair said. “We got into a courtroom, and she came up on a big Zoom screen. I called her name, saying, ’I love you, Sage,’ and she replied, ‘I love you, Nana,’ and that was it. The public defender shut it down and convinced the judge that I was abusive because I didn’t call her by her boy name.”
Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Robert Kershaw even had Mrs. Blair’s husband removed from the courtroom for not using Sage’s masculine pronouns. The judge also refused to acknowledge Sage’s need for trauma care, according to Mrs. Blair.
With the assistance of Ms. Olsen and Mr. Via, Ms. Khan successfully convinced Judge Kershaw to place Sage in the custody of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS). There, she was housed with high-risk adolescent males who sexually assaulted her, the lawsuit claims.
A month later, in November, Sage fled to Texas to meet someone she had met online, believing they were 16 years old. However, the person turned out to be another sex trafficker.
This time, Texas authorities intervened and returned Sage to Mrs. Blair, where she remains after being away from home for over a year.
“This all could have been avoided if the school had informed me of what was going on instead of keeping me in the dark,” Mrs. Blair said. “Sage would not have a lifetime complex PTSD diagnosis she will struggle with the rest of her life.”
Sage had already spent several months in the foster care system before being adopted by the Blairs at the age of 2, following the death of her father and her mother’s inability to care for her.
“She had a history of mental health issues from early childhood trauma,” Mrs. Blair explained.
Sage has both good and bad days, but Mrs. Blair remains hopeful for her daughter’s recovery.
The Lawsuit
Mary McAlister, senior litigation counsel with Child & Parental Rights Campaign, the firm representing Mrs. Blair, stated that they are suing school staff and the public defender for violating parental rights and civil rights.
“By depriving Plaintiff of critical information regarding S.B.’s gender identity and sexual harassment and assaults at school, Defendants Olsen and Via have infringed Plaintiff’s fundamental right to direct S.B.’s upbringing,” the complaint states.
They are also suing for violation of Title IX due to the school staff’s alleged deliberate indifference to sexual harassment, as Sage’s reports of assault were reportedly not addressed adequately.
The lawsuit claims that Ms. Olsen, Mr. Via, and Ms. Khan violated Mrs. Blair’s fundamental right to custody of Sage due to their perceived disagreement with affirming an incongruent gender identity in her daughter.
“Mrs. Blair is informed and believes that while S
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