{"id":2020640,"date":"2023-09-03T01:53:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-03T05:53:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mom-daughter-to-receive-100000-settlement-in-landmark-secret-gender-transition-case\/"},"modified":"2023-09-03T01:56:59","modified_gmt":"2023-09-03T05:56:59","slug":"mom-daughter-to-receive-100000-settlement-in-landmark-secret-gender-transition-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mom-daughter-to-receive-100000-settlement-in-landmark-secret-gender-transition-case\/","title":{"rendered":"Mom and daughter to get $100k settlement in groundbreaking gender transition case."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmom-daughter-to-receive-100000-settlement-in-landmark-secret-gender-transition-case%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2020640&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div data-post-content=\"true\" class=\"post_content\" id=\"post_content\">\n<h2>California School District Settles\u2063 Lawsuit Over Alleged Coaching of 11-Year-Old\u200c Girl&#8217;s Gender Transition<\/h2>\n<p>A California \u2063school district that was sued over allegations \u2062teachers and staff at Buena Vista Middle School in Salinas, Calif., <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/parent-says-daughter-was-coached-on-lgbtq-identity-at-california-school-4156865\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">coached<\/a> an 11-year-old girl to socially transition to a male gender identity \u200bsettled with the girl and her mother for $100,000.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2063 <a href=\"https:\/\/libertycenter.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/20220614_Konen_Complaint_HT_Final.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">lawsuit<\/a>, filed on June 14 last \u2062year, named Spreckels Union School District,\u200d the principal at the school,\u200d and two teachers as defendants.<\/p>\n<p>Jessica Konen, the child\u2019s mother, \u200dcame \u2064forward after a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/leaked-audio-reveals-how-california-teachers-recruit-kids-into-lgbtq-clubs-4114896\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">leaked audio<\/a> recording revealed the two teachers telling other educators \u200babout how\u2064 they\u200c secretly recruited \u2062students\u200c into the school\u2019s LGBT club at a California Teachers \u200dAssociation\u200c weekend conference in Palm Springs\u200b in October 2021. \u200cThe \u2062CTA event was\u200b billed \u2064as the \u201c2021 LGBTQ+ Issues Conference, Beyond \u2062the Binary: Identity &#038; Imagining Possibilities.\u201d The two teachers were later suspended and no longer work in the district.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3>Related\u2062 Stories<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/parental-rights-coalition-opponents-clash-in-los-angeles-over-secret-gender-transitions-5479766\">Parental Rights Coalition, Opponents\u2063 Clash in\u2064 Los \u200cAngeles Over Secret Gender Transitions<\/a><br \/>\n        <span class=\"text-comp-caption\">8\/24\/2023<\/span>\n      <\/li>\n<li>\n        <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/california-parents-launch-ballot-initiatives-opposing-gender-ideology-5483807\">California Parents Launch \u200dBallot Initiatives Opposing \u200dGender\u2062 Ideology<\/a><br \/>\n        <span class=\"text-comp-caption\">8\/30\/2023<\/span>\n      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Ms. Konen told\u200c The Epoch Times she\u2019s relieved that a\u2063 settlement has finally \u200cbeen reached.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a massive victory across\u200c America for \u200cmyself, for my daughter, and for other parents experiencing similar situations,\u201d \u200bshe said. \u200c\u201cOur \u2064voices made a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While she\u200d is grateful \u200cto the Center\u200d for \u2063American Liberty for taking on\u200b the pro-bono case, she said \u2063the \u200dbattle for parental rights has only\u2064 begun.<\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"lazyload-placeholder\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>Jessica Konen, the mother of a child who was allegedly coached \u2064into a transgender \u200cidentity at school in Salinas, California. (Courtesy of\u2062 Trevor Lewis)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI just feel social transitioning \u200ddone in secrecy is\u200b the\u200d real \u200bevil. We \u2064need \u2064to \u2064get rid of it, period. So,\u2062 the fight must\u200b continue,\u201d \u200bshe said.<\/p>\n<p>Her daughter, Alicia\u200d Konen, who is now 16, echoed her \u2063mom\u2019s sentiments, saying she\u2019s ready to\u2062 put\u200b the experience, which she\u2062 described as \u201cevil\u201d and \u201chorrible,\u201d behind her.<\/p>\n<p>According to the Center for American Liberty and allegations in \u200bthe \u2063lawsuit, Alicia was \u2064 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/parent-says-daughter-was-coached-on-lgbtq-identity-at-california-school-4156865\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recruited<\/a> to\u200d join an\u2063 \u201cEquality Club,\u201d where\u2062 she was taught about \u2063bisexuality, transgender identities, \u2064and other\u200b LGBT concepts when she was in the sixth grade.<\/p>\n<p>Alicia began to use a \u200bmale name and pronouns\u200d and wore \u2062a chest binder under boy\u2019s\u2064 clothes.<\/p>\n<p>School staff finally called a meeting the last day before winter break during Alicia&#8217;s seventh grade year \u2062and demanded that \u2063Ms. Konen refer to her daughter by \u200da male\u2064 name\u2064 and male pronouns, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI \u200bwas definitely intimidated,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Konen recalls feeling awkward and stressed when she \u200bwas tagging Alicia\u2019s Christmas gifts.<\/p>\n<p>She wanted to be supportive to her daughter but wasn\u2019t \u2063ready to call her by a male name and pronouns, so she wrote \u201cBaby\u201d \u200dand \u2063\u201cSweetheart\u201d instead.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was an \u200cemotional\u200b wreck trying to process\u2063 everything. I was scared to mess \u200cup or to use the\u2062 wrong pronouns,\u201d \u2063she said. \u201cI never used the male pronouns, \u200dand I never used the name.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Konen warned\u2062 parents to\u200b \u201cbe vigilant,\u201d talk\u2062 to teachers,\u2064 and pay\u2063 attention to what\u2019s happening at local\u2064 school meetings.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>About <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/parental-rights-coalition-opponents-clash-in-los-angeles-over-secret-gender-transitions\/\" title=\"Parental Rights Coalition and Opponents Clash in LA Over Hidden Gender Transitions.\">200 parental rights demonstrators marched<\/a> \u2062through \u2062downtown \u200cLos Angeles to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mom-daughter-to-receive-100000-settlement-in-landmark-secret-gender-transition-case\/\" title=\"Mom and daughter to get 0k settlement in groundbreaking gender transition case.\">protest secret \u2064gender transitions<\/a>\u2062 in California public schools on Aug. 22, 2023. (Courtesy of \u200bHasmik Bezirdshyan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t be\u200d afraid to ask questions. Don\u2019t be\u2063 afraid to show your \u2062values \u200cand\u200d your \u200bopinions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>She also urged parents to get more \u2062engaged in their children\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need to fight for our kids, because if we don&#8217;t fight for our\u2063 kids, they\u2019ll fight for\u200d our kids,\u201d she said. \u201cBe close to your child, because somebody\u2062 wants to get closer.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>&#8216;I Wanted to Tell \u2062My Mom&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Alicia\u2019s social gender transition\u2063 began when she\u2062 went to see a school counselor because she was feeling depressed, she told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was told by the counselor\u2014it was brought up that I was\u2063 sad because I wasn\u2019t \u2062who I\u200d was supposed to \u200bbe, and\u200c that\u2019s kind of where \u200bit all\u200b started,\u201d \u2063she said.<\/p>\n<p>Alicia \u2063was\u2063 \u201cpulled away\u201d from her schoolwork, and\u2064 the counselor who she said \u2063was working with the school to \u201csocially transition kids,\u201d put\u200d her on a Gender\u200d Support Plan, known as a GSP, which required school \u2062staff to use a male name and pronouns when referring to \u200dher,\u2062 and to allow her to\u2063 use the unisex teachers\u2019 restroom instead of the girl\u2019s facilities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI \u2063was advised by \u200cthe school\u2063 not to tell my mom, and I was given articles\u2062 on how \u200bto hide a social transition from my mom,\u201d \u200dshe said. \u201cI was extremely confused, and honestly \u2062very scared. I\u200c wanted to tell my mom, and continually\u2063 said I wanted to \u2062tell her, but I was \u2063encouraged to keep it a secret. &#8230; The school said that my mother \u200cwouldn\u2019t support me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But, throughout \u2063the ordeal which lasted for more than a\u200d year, Alicia\u2062 believes \u2064her mom would support her no matter what.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe loves me. She went \u2064through this whole fight for me, and \u2062that just shows really how\u2064 much\u200c she supports me,\u2062 how much\u2064 she\u200d loves me,\u201d Alicia said. \u201cIt \u200dwas horrible what I went through, and not a lot \u2062of people\u200c know how \u2062it\u200c feels to have to hide \u200bstuff from your mom, especially when you have as close of a bond as we do.\u201d<\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width:600px\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>A pedestrian sign outside of an elementary school in Costa \u200bMesa, Calif., on Aug. 21,\u200c 2023. (John Fredricks\/The\u2062 Epoch Times)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Alicia said she\u2062 has\u200c felt better about herself since she left middle school \u200dand entered high school where she is \u201cactually \u2063able to focus \u2064on my academics.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And she is comfortable with\u200c her gender.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am 1,000 percent a girl. I am Alicia.\u2064 That is who\u200d I am, and no one can \u2063ever change that,\u201d she \u200csaid. \u201cI \u2063feel \u200cfree finally. I feel like I\u2019m\u200d not under \u200ccontrol by\u200b anybody. I can \u200dfinally \u200cmove forward with my life\u2064 and \u200cbe\u2062 happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Konens\u200b hope their\u200d high-profile case will draw attention and encourage other families to challenge\u200b state and \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cardona-requested-school-board-letter-that-called-parents-domestic-terrorists\/\" title=\"Cardona Requested School Board Letter That Called Parents \u2018Domestic Terrorists\u2019\">local school board policies<\/a> \u200bthat exclude\u2064 parents from their children\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2062 think that \u2063throughout the country there will be a lot more coming forward, realizing that they\u2064 were never\u2062 alone,\u201d Ms. Konen said. \u201cThere are people out there\u2063 who are hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The settlement\u200d means they\u2019re both \u2062able to\u200c talk more freely \u200dabout their \u200bexperience\u200d and have considered writing a book.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is\u200b a \u2062complete passion \u200bof mine to continue to spread awareness,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Alicia said \u200cshe feels \u201cextremely bad,\u201d for other children who were socially transitioned at school.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s one of the main\u2063 reasons I wanted\u200c to come out \u200dand speak about this case, because \u200bI want to be a voice for\u2064 the people who feel like they don\u2019t have\u200d a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ms. Konen said the school staff took \u200badvantage of her daughter\u2019s young mind \u200band vulnerable state, which she called \u201ca form of brainwashing,\u201d \u2063and\u200c didn\u2019t tell\u2063 her that Alicia was\u2063 having suicidal thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>If parents \u200care kept in the \u2064dark about their children\u2019s problems, they won\u2019t be able to\u200c help support them\u2062 or get them \u2063the therapy they need, she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s extremely dangerous,\u201d Ms. \u200cKonen said,\u200d \u201cWhat if something happens that is\u2064 irreversible? &#8230; If a\u200c child only has the\u2062 support of schools, what happens\u2062 when they go home? What happens when they have those bad days? What \u2063happens when they&#8217;re confused at home?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The best way \u2062to prevent youth \u2063suicides is for \u2062school staff and parents to work together, Ms.\u2062 Konen said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf everyone\u2019s included, \u200bthen that is\u2064 in the best interest of the\u2063 child\u2014not hiding it,\u201d she \u2064said. \u201cThe secret stuff has to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson for the\u2064 Spreckels Union \u200dSchool District was\u2063 not\u200b immediately available for\u200b comment.<\/p>\n<div style=\"margin-left:0;margin-right:0;max-width:1200px\">\n<figure style=\"width:640px;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto\" class=\"alignnone\"><figcaption>About 200 \u2062parental rights demonstrators \u200cmarched through downtown Los \u200cAngeles to protest\u2064 secret gender transitions in California public schools on Aug. 22, 2023. (Courtesy of Hasmik \u200cBezirdshyan)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h2>&#8216;Hard to Put\u200c a Dollar Value on It&#8217;<\/h2>\n<p>Eric Sell, a civil rights\u200b attorney at \u200dthe Center for American Liberty who\u2063 represented \u200bthe Konens, told \u200dThe \u200cEpoch Times the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/meet-oregons-next-education-director-a-social-justice-advocate-who-wants-teachers-to-own-their-privilege\/\" title=\"Introducing Oregon's upcoming Education Director: A passionate advocate for social justice, encouraging teachers to acknowledge and embrace their privilege.\">school district settled<\/a>\u200d the case based \u200don \u2062the underlying <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/mom-daughter-sue-school-district-in-alleged-transgender-coaching-case-4539279\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">allegations<\/a> in the lawsuit but hasn\u2019t admitted any fault or liability.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened\u2064 to Alicia,\u2064 Jessica is\u2063 hard to \u200bquantify. It\u2019s hard to\u200d put a dollar value on it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>But \u200dthe $100,00\u200c settlement will serve \u200cas \u200ca deterrent for other school districts\u200d that continue \u201cto propagate these policies and k<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A California school district settled a lawsuit for $100,000 after allegations that teachers and staff at Buena Vista Middle School in Salinas coached an 11-year-old girl to transition to a male gender identity. The lawsuit, filed on June 14, named Spreckels Union School District and the principal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":557,"featured_media":2020641,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2020640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2020640","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/557"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2020640"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2020640\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2020641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2020640"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2020640"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2020640"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}