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Copyright © 2016 Albuquerque Journal

More than 500 people have signed a petition opposing the new transgender directive at the Albuquerque Public Schools.

Parent and minister Adelious Stith is leading the charge, and he says that the APS Board is ignoring their concerns.

He has tried to set up a meeting with the board to discuss his concerns, but the board refused a private conversation. He not only opposes the new accommodations, but the way they were implemented.

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The board did not have to vote on the directive, which was enacted by Superintendent Raquel Reedy’s leadership team in mid-June.

“It was so covertly done that no one knew,” Stith said, during the public comment period at the board’s regular meeting on Wednesday. “We do not feel as though the procedure was implemented correctly.”

The directive essentially allows students to choose names, wear clothing, play on sports teams, and use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their self-declared gender identity.

Stith, an ordained minister who does not currently lead a congregation, has vocally opposed the directive for months. The online petition he launched in March – titled “Albuquerque Parents Standing for Non-Discrimination Toward all Students” – has collected about 550 signatures.

In May, Stith met with Reedy and APS board president Dave Peercy, but was upset that a transgender activist was also included.

“As a parent, I was trying to get a one-on-one meeting; I got a panel,” he said in an interview with the Journal.

Now Stith is pressing for the board to sit down with him and other parents who have concerns about the directive, particularly the rule allowing transgender students to use restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity.

“They have flat-out refused,” Stith said.

Peercy confirmed that there will be no private discussion, but APS plans to hold public meetings for general feedback on transgender accommodations.

“We are not going to meet individually as a board with a bunch of parents who have a beef to make – that is not going to happen,” he said. “We are going to meet with all the people who want to come, including those on both sides, and they can make comments about what we are trying to do.”

Peercy added that he sent a polite email to Stith about transgender issues and that they simply disagree.

Staff have been undergoing training on how to implement the directive, but Peercy acknowledged that some details are not finalized.

And he said that board members and administrators are open to suggestions about implementing the directive, which will be in effect when the school year starts on Aug. 11.

APS has not decided exactly how to track transgender students and their accommodations. Administrators have said that they do not know exactly how many transgender kids attend APS schools, but it is a small number.

“We are going to make sure it works fine, and there is safety and security,” Peercy said. “We are trying to do the right thing.”

Stith also stressed that he wants to do the right thing for APS students and said he will continue to send letters to elected officials and administrators.

He is pushing for the district to offer single-stall bathrooms only for transgender kids, and to not allow them into general restrooms and locker rooms where other people might feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

A handful of other speakers at the APS board echoed those views; roughly an equal number of transgender activists spoke out in support of the directive.

Amber Royster, Equality New Mexico executive director, said transgender people just “want to pee in peace.”

“Our love for our trans community is so much stronger and will work much so much longer than the fear and bigotry of our opponents,” she said.