A 16-year-old transgender student, Ash Whitaker, is having to sue his school on the basis of discrimination after they insisted he wear a wristband identifying him as transgender.

You can imagine it would be hard enough for a person to go through the process of a sex change, with all the emotional and physical disruption that causes, without having to feel like you're essentially walking round with a giant flashing sign above your head saying: "I'M DIFFERENT".

According to the legal proceedings, Ash came out as transgender to close family and friends at the age of 14, before also sharing the fact that he was a trans male to students and teachers at his school a year later. However, his school subsequently ruled that he would not be allowed to use the men's toilets.

As an alternative, the school insisted he either use the girls' toilets or a completely separate office toilet which was situated at quite a distance from the majority of his classrooms. Ash, who was already feeling stigmatised at this point, then begun trying to avoid using the toilet at school all together by limiting the amount of water he drunk.

boy and girl toilet door signs pink and blue

But this took a toll on his health, causing him to suffer from migraines and fainting, so he eventually began disobeying the 'rules' put in place by the school, and using the boys' toilets regardless.

The school retaliated to this, however, by implementing the 'wristband' system designed to highlight Ash as transgender as a means of preventing him using the men's bathroom. Which is completely shocking given that it's discriminatory and out of order on so many levels.

In a statement released by the Transgender Law Centre who has been helping Ash with the suing process, Ash said:

"My peers and many of my teachers know me as a boy, and have been incredibly supportive. But the school administrators have made my life miserable every school day since this spring, when they told me I could no longer use the boys' restrooms, which I'd been using with the support of my classmates for months. I worry about how I'm going to navigate the demands of senior year if I can't even go to the bathroom without worrying that I'm being watched."

Ash is still in the process of taking his school to court, but here's hoping he wins his case - not only to get the justice he deserves - but to prevent further segregation for others who might find themselves in a similar situation.

But there is one positive outcome for Ash so far: he'll be running for Prom King this year as opposed to Queen, as the school had previously insisted.

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Catriona Harvey-Jenner Digital Features Editor Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs.

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