Lawsuit may prevent schools concealing children’s dysphoria after sex trafficking incident.

The ⁢mother of a‌ Virginia teen who was sex-trafficked twice after her school⁢ concealed her newly asserted⁣ gender identity​ has filed a groundbreaking ⁢lawsuit against school staff‍ and a ‌Maryland ‌public ‍defender who alleged parental “misgendering” ⁣and abuse. The complaint was filed Aug. 22 in the Western‍ District of Virginia court on behalf of⁤ Michele Blair by the Child and ⁢Parental Rights Campaign (CPRC) with support from the ​ Foundation Against ‌Intolerance and Racism ⁢(FAIR).

It alleges that the defendants’ actions—first in withholding vital information about ⁢the girl’s gender identification and related ⁢assault in the boys’ bathroom, then later by falsely alleging abuse to deprive her mother of ​custody—resulted in the child’s ordeal at the hands of sexual predators not once, but twice. ⁣ Blair v. Appomattox et al.​ will set⁢ critical​ precedents in two areas of roiling national debate: parental notification of gender ‌transition in schools and parental custody ​relating to gender identity.

Public Schools Hide Kids’ Dysphoria

More ​ than 10⁤ million ⁣children ​this fall returned‌ to public schools that conceal⁤ kids’ transgender identities from parents.⁤ A California case ⁣ recently settled ⁢for $100,000 is‌ one of several lawsuits filed by parents whose ⁤children were secretly transitioned in school.

The Blair suit, however, is​ groundbreaking for displaying the ⁣liability schools ‍risk when secret-keeping results in tragedy. Safely back in her ⁣loving home for more than a ‍year ⁤now, Sage still ‍suffers persistent​ nightmares and ⁢panic⁣ attacks. She is receiving intensive therapy for ⁢ complex PTSD, her mother reports, a diagnosis related to prolonged ⁤helplessness ‍amid extreme trauma.

The reason for ⁣the secrecy that prefaced her ordeal no ⁢longer exists: ‍Sage has embraced her sex, reflecting in hindsight that she had “just wanted to make friends” at her‍ new school​ by claiming to be a boy.

How gender identity relates to “abuse” is fiercely debated nationwide. In states including California, ​ pending legislation categorizes parental non-affirmation of‍ gender ⁣dysphoria as abuse. The political cost of angering parents of all backgrounds has begun to affect 2024 campaigns, as​ demonstrated by⁣ California Gov. Gavin ‌Newsom’s​ unexpected ⁤ veto of ‌one of these bills.

In 2023, ​Virginia lawmakers debated “Sage’s Law,” ⁤requiring⁣ parental⁢ notification in schools and clarifying that raising a ‍child according ⁤to‌ his or her ⁢sex may not be considered abuse. Virginia​ Senate‍ Democrats killed Sage’s Law, and it has become a campaign issue. In fact,⁣ the ⁢transgender delegate ‍ who vehemently opposed House​ Bill 2432 ⁢is now facing a veteran anti-trafficking leader ‍championing the bill.

Given the lack of evidence for benefits to minors from “gender-affirming care” and the​ tremendous risk and potential⁣ for regret, ‍the question of what ‍constitutes ⁣“abuse” and grounds for state intervention is urgent.

“Sage’s⁢ story is an absolute tragedy that no child should​ ever have to endure. But⁢ what is ‍even worse is that it was entirely preventable,” said attorney Vernadette Broyles in announcing​ the lawsuit. “School administrators and public⁢ officials alike decided that their‍ authority superseded⁣ that of⁤ her parents…This is⁣ about who has⁣ the best interests of the ​child⁣ at heart, ⁤who knows that child better⁢ than anyone else, ⁤and ultimately ⁢who must⁣ make important​ personal decisions for a⁢ child.”

An ​‘Entirely Preventable’ Nightmare

Sage’s heartbreaking ⁤story was documented in The Federalist last winter, when Delegate Dave LaRock introduced Sage’s Law ​in the Virginia General Assembly. She was a 14-year-old freshman at Appomattox County High School ‍in 2021 ⁣when her school allegedly ‍reinforced⁤ her ‌claim to be male and concealed it from her ​parents. She ​was severely bullied, then ⁢assaulted in the male bathroom school employees told her to use, according to the complaint.

Sage ran‍ away,⁤ leaving⁢ a ⁢note expressing fear of further⁤ violence. She was caught by a predator who drugged and raped ⁤her, then drove ‌her into Washington, DC, where other men sex-trafficked her into⁢ Maryland.

When the FBI rescued Sage in Baltimore eight days later, a public defender ⁤alleged⁢ “misgendering” and‌ abuse⁢ at home, so ⁣a judge withheld custody from Sage’s loving parents⁤ for more than two⁢ months. Instead, the judge ordered Sage​ to a Maryland state home in ⁢male quarters, where she was assaulted again, the​ lawsuit says. Sage fled and was once‍ again caught by a predator ⁢and raped, drugged, starved, and tortured, this time for ‌months before law enforcement found her in Texas.

Seeking Justice for Sage

The ⁤55-page complaint lays out nine causes of⁢ action,‍ seeking “compensatory and⁤ punitive damages” plus ‍court costs for “tortious interference‍ with the parent-child relationship, conspiracy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, professional malpractice, and other rights” resulting ‍in extreme harm to Sage and her mother. The first four causes of action target Appomattox County High School counselors Dena ‌Olsen and Avery Via, Superintendent Annette ⁣Bennett, and the ⁢school board.

The remaining causes contain shocking charges against⁢ Maryland public defender Aneesa Khan ⁣and the school counselors of malpractice, perjury, and conspiracy⁢ “aimed at depriving⁢ Mrs. Blair ‌of custody of her daughter and keeping [Sage] ‍ in ‍Maryland to be affirmed⁣ in a male identity.” The complaint alleges the trio knowingly​ presented ​false testimony of abuse to Judge ‍Robert Kershaw, and ‌that their success in convincing ⁢him ​to ​keep Sage ⁣from her parents resulted⁢ in her ‌subsequent abuse in a state home and in her ‌second, months-long ⁤victimization.

Lawsuit: Hiding Info Led ⁤to Sex⁣ Trafficking

The Appomattox defendants, contends the lawsuit, concealed both the⁤ school’s unauthorized “mental health⁢ intervention” ⁤affirming Sage as male and‌ the resultant student “bullying, verbal, physical and sexual assault.” It alleges they failed to take corrective action​ or to‌ initiate a Title ⁣IX sexual harassment investigation, instead directing the ‌girl into the male bathroom, where she was assaulted.

Among the most damning allegations ​is the counselors’ ⁢egregious disregard ⁣for Sage’s history of trauma⁤ and​ mental health concerns. Michele had provided⁣ these ⁣to the school‍ expecting they would work⁣ closely with⁣ her‌ like Sage’s previous⁤ school had, she said in testimony to Virginia’s ​legislature.

Sage lost her father as a baby and had been through six foster‌ homes by ​age two​ when Michele, ‌her biological ​grandmother,‌ adopted her. Michele recalls Sage’s unusual silence as a child: ⁤she had learned not​ to cry because adults didn’t respond.

With‍ years of love, she developed into ‌a happy‌ child. Then a wave of mental health issues ⁢emerged with puberty, compounded by Covid isolation. As a trained ⁤Virginia ⁢Court⁣ Appointed Special Advocate​ (CASA), Michele⁣ sought professional help for Sage, ⁢including ​hospitalization the summer before⁤ she entered high school.

Despite this known vulnerability, contends the lawsuit, Appomattox kept Sage’s parents in the dark even once reports surfaced of⁣ assault in the boys’ bathroom. ⁤School personnel met repeatedly with Sage alone, culminating in an emotional⁤ session on August 25, 2021 where they‌ threatened ​she could be ⁢sued if⁣ she ‍made false allegations against‌ the boys, the lawsuit says. ⁣Sage suffered‍ a “psychotic break,” alleges the lawsuit, and ran ⁣away that ⁢night into the nightmare that followed.

Counselors, Public Defender ‘Conspired’

The ‌night Sage was ‌rescued in Baltimore, she spent hours alone‌ at the hospital undergoing a difficult rape exam into the wee hours of the morning. As⁣ she was being ​driven to a detention⁤ center afterward, the complaint alleges, Sage asked⁤ that her mother be called ‍to​ take‍ her home. This​ request⁢ was‍ denied and she was locked in solitary detention. Later that day, Khan was claiming in court⁣ that the Blairs were abusive and Sage did not want to ​go home.

Among the disturbing facts alleged are sudden, mysterious phone‍ calls originating from self-described “mandated reporters” ​to the Appomattox County child abuse hotline hours after Sage ‌was found on ‍September⁣ 3, “before her ⁤rescue and ​location⁣ were known to anyone but law enforcement, Mrs. Blair and Ms. Khan.”

Other reports followed, claiming Michele ​had subjected Sage ⁣to “‘conversion‍ therapy’ aimed at changing [Sage’s] gender identity.” This was “factually ⁤impossible,” as Michele allegedly only became aware of ‌the ⁣gender identity shift the night ⁢Sage ran away. ⁢In fact, asserts the complaint, Khan conspired ‌with ‌Olsen and Via to “facilitat[e] ⁤the ⁢initiation of child protective services investigations in Virginia and ⁢Maryland.”

There‍ are further allegations of ⁤grievous cruelty to a traumatized young⁣ rape victim: ⁣Sage was never‌ informed her parents⁤ were waiting for⁤ her‍ right ​outside the jail; Khan convinced Sage to lie to the ‍court that her ‌parents had abused her; Khan told⁢ the child ‍her mother no longer wanted her, and withheld all the gifts⁤ and loving letters Michele sent⁤ to Sage at ​the Maryland children’s home.

These “extreme and ⁢outrageous⁣ actions intentionally aimed at harming…Mrs. Blair’s ⁢parental⁢ relationship ‍with [Sage]”‌ were allegedly “all because Ms. Khan believed that [Sage] must be affirmed as male,” the lawsuit‌ says. According to a text from Sage to a friend, Khan had the ⁣stated ambition of taking her case ​to the Supreme Court.

Ideology ​Trumps Care for ​Trauma

Broyles stated to The Federalist Radio Hour that “ideology overwhelmed everything we know⁤ about trauma,‍ about sex abuse victims, about ‍children needing their parents and ​how they⁢ should be restored⁤ [to them] ⁤immediately…unless there’s​ actual⁢ proof of…abuse.”⁤ Instead,⁤ a‌ 100-pound, deeply wounded girl​ with ⁤no criminal ‍record was jailed ⁢for several ‌days, ​then housed with troubled teenage boys, “where‍ she was exposed to drugs, further sexual harassment and assault.”

Broyles reasoned Sage was treated “as if she’s a juvenile delinquent…in order to maintain control.” ‌The legal maneuvering‍ in Maryland lasted more than two‌ months,⁢ with Judge Kershaw ⁤holding multiple hearings that ‌delayed Sage’s return to‍ Virginia required under the Interstate Compact for Juveniles (ICJ).

Khan’s alleged⁢ narrative of ‌abandonment fell on receptive ‌ground: Sage⁣ told Michele months later how much she’d missed her,​ but tried not to, because‍ she “knew”‌ Michele didn’t want her. The shame and unworthiness felt by victims of sexual exploitation is well-documented. “Trauma-related​ shame is an irrational ‍and biological response…connected to the ​specific ‌reactions of denial, hiding, ​and running away,” explains‌ one study.

A Critical Precedent⁤ on School‌ Secrecy

The school ‍secrecy ‍that allegedly facilitated Sage’s ordeal is an intense national debate. In Virginia, ‍leftist school boards like⁢ Fairfax County’s⁣ are defying Gov. Glenn ‌Youngkin’s new model policies requiring parental​ notification and use of privacy facilities by sex, not gender identity. California and New Jersey are suing their‌ own ⁢constituents, at constituent expense, for the right‍ to deceive them about their own children.

Parents ‌ are fighting back, and surveys show that even left-leaning voters overwhelmingly favor parental‍ notification⁤ in schools. Yet many Democrat politicians fiercely oppose ​it. They are‍ backstopped ⁢ by a​ billion-dollar ‌ industry that ‌profits from pediatric transition and funds ⁢pro-secrecy ⁤ activists in schools and ​ legislatures, facilitating access to⁣ lifelong​ patients.

Significantly,‍ records indicate Appomattox staff followed the same principle of instant,⁣ uncritical,⁤ and secret ⁢affirmation dictated by ​LGBT activist–crafted model policies that have infiltrated​ thousands of schools. The “Schools in Transition” model policy insists “affirming‍ a ⁢child’s gender⁣ identity is in a child’s ‌best⁤ interest,” and that school personnel have “unique insight into the student’s needs​ without the ⁤biases parents ‍can or ‌are perceived ‌to have.”

An⁣ Essential Precedent on Children’s⁤ Rights

This raises the critical⁤ question: does refusal to affirm a child as ‍the⁣ opposite sex constitute “abuse” and grounds for removal from ⁢parental custody, as Khan advocated⁣ in court? Activists are ⁤training legal officials and law ⁤students that it⁤ does.

A bill ‌California’s ​legislature​ passed would transfer children to​ state custody where, as Sage experienced, the ⁢risk of actual ‌abuse ​ skyrockets. ⁢Simultaneously, by dictating that foster parents “affirm” kids’ sexual identities, California is reducing ‌the homes available to‍ needy ⁣foster kids.

In some states, family custody is already decided on this basis. While all 50 ⁢states are bound by ⁤the ICJ governing the return⁢ of ‍runaway minors, some have passed‌ “refuge” laws preventing ⁢the return of children who have run or been taken across state lines ⁤for “gender-affirming ‍care.”

This wildly aggressive​ intrusion ⁢ into⁣ parental rights is remarkable ‍not only for the destruction it ⁢has‌ wrought,⁣ but for the absence of justification. As other nations have ⁢concluded, there is a⁣ profound lack of scientific⁣ evidence ⁣to support ⁤ pediatric gender ⁣transitions. And tens of thousands of detransitioners now bitterly regret the lifelong ‍ medical consequences of adults affirming their childhood choices.

The⁤ fundamental question⁣ in⁤ Blair⁤ v. Appomattox et al. ⁣ is whether fit parents or the state rightfully decide a child’s ‍best interests. Sage’s allegations show the⁣ devastating potential harm to children when ideologically captured ​institutions wrest control of⁣ a child’s life from parents. ‌While the case⁢ will ‍set‍ critical​ precedents in schools and courts, it⁤ also highlights the pressing need⁤ for laws reinforcing ​the right of parents to protect their ‍children‌ from‍ state overreach.

Michele says she’s filing this lawsuit in the ‌“hope…that⁤ no parent ever has ‍to go through​ what [she] did to protect their child.”