Andy Fitzpatrick

Battle Creek Enquirer

In a presentation about what one man considers the dangers of allowing local transgender students to use school restrooms that match their gender identity, some citizens showed up to push back.

Robert Wolf of Battle Creek is a public speaker that travels the county talking on a variety of topics, and held two sessions Saturday at Riverside Golf and Banquet Center, 245 E. Columbia Ave. He talked about the adoption this year of guidelines by the Michigan State Board of Education that make sure schools are meeting the needs of students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender.

In August, Lakeview High School Title IX Coordinator Marty Pessetti told the Enquirer transgender students will be able to use restrooms and locker rooms based on their gender identity.

Wolf said poor media coverage of the standards and the period of time the state board accepted public comments resulted in the standards being "forced down the throats of a majority of Michiganians."

"I also believe that we can’t allow our local school districts and local school boards, and administrations, to make decisions that are this sweeping without input and approval of parents and citizens," Wolf said at the first of the two meetings.

Wolf wanted to provide those who shared that concern with letters they can take to local school boards that are considering such changes.

Lakeview High School principal Jeff Bohl was at the first meeting and said Lakeview Board of Education agendas are published ahead of time and include what will be discussed at each meeting.

Before the meetings started, protesters stood on East Columbia Avenue holding sings that showed support for LGBT people, with slogans such as "Spread Love, Not Hate."

Inside the meeting, the conversation continued during Wolf's Q&A period. More than 50 people were in the Riverside banquet room and much of that space was filled by people who were there to counter Wolf's message.

Some who identified themselves as parents said they were concerned for their daughters' privacy if a transgender girl comes into a locker room or bathroom at school. Others who also said they were parents said their children would not care if that happened.

At times, the Q&A became a conversation between audience members. Tomi Ailene Morris stood to speak to Wolf, but also directed her comments to a woman in the audience who said she had privacy concerns.

Morris said she was aware of middle school students who were transgender.

"The kids here don't really care," Morris said. "They like the people who they are. They don’t care. If you’re afraid of it, your kids are afraid of it."

Morris talked about the physical abuse from parents transgender kids can sometimes face. When Wolf said that was a separate issue, Morris said it was those parents who then want to influence schools and facility access.

After the meeting, Morris said she wasn't sure if she was heard.

"It was my feeling that he was receptive but he didn’t really want to face it at the time," Morris said of Wolf.

Bohl said the reality of the situation is that transgender students are at Lakeview and their using the restrooms that match their identity.

"I believe that because of the student supportive context we have at our school, that if students had concerns with that, they would bring it to us," Bohl said. "I just want everyone to know that we have never had a student come forward with that kind of challenge."

Bohl added that, at least in his four years at the school, no transgender student has harassed another student in a bathroom or locker room.

"They are the victims of harassment," Bohl said.

Rev. Tom Ryberg, an associate pastor at First Congregational Church of Battle Creek, was at the meeting as well. He said there are transgender kids and adults among his congregation.

"Children and youth who are transgender are at tremendous risk of being bullied, having depression, and even attempting suicide," Ryberg said. "So if we're serious that every person is worthy of love and protection as one of God's beloved children, that means loving and protecting God's transgender children too."

For Wolf's part, he said he also wasn't positive his message was heard clearly by the audience. He said he was concerned that a special interest group was having its needs met over the interests of others.

"Those special items actually have the potential of transferring victimhood from this class to a different class," Wolf said. "My argument is my daughters and granddaughters should have the right when they go to that place in the school, they should know that they aren’t going to be faced with a situation that they couldn’t anticipate."

Wolf said he was trying to protect "safe places" for both girls and boys, something he said was happening on college campuses across the nation.

"What we’re doing with these guidelines is taking away a safe place, an inherently historic safe place for boys and girls, we’re taking that away from them," Wolf said.ve

Wolf did, however, say that he hasn't spoken to transgender students about any of this, nor has he talked to transgender relatives he said he has about it.

"I’d be lying to you if I said I have," Wolf said. "So I gotta do that. I have to do a better job of understanding their viewpoint, of understanding why they are as adamant as they are."

That attitude was praised by Ryberg.

"Mr. Wolf strikes me as a sincere man with some legitimate concerns, particularly regarding the need for adequate public input for determining how best to support LGBTQ people," Ryberg said. "I was encouraged by his willingness to open the floor and listen to those who disagreed with him."

Wolf pointed to November's election results and the defeat of Democrat John Austin, the outgoing state board of education president, as hope that public attitudes are aligning with his viewpoint. The Detroit Free Press reported in November that Austin thought his strong support for the guidelines was to blame for his loss, along with Donald Trump's influence on the election.

"Clearly it had an impact in a year in which I was a target for that leadership and a year in which lots of people across the country came out to vote who were angry and being encouraged to blame other people, whether it's immigrants or Latinos or Muslims," Austin told the Free Press.

Bohl said that, as a father, he faced his own questions when he first dealt with transgender student issues.

"It’s a new day," Bohl said. "Things are changing, levels of acceptance are changing, our understanding of the emotional distress that these kids go through is changing."

Contact Andy Fitzpatrick at 269-966-0697 or afitzpatrick@battlecreekenquirer.com. Follow him on Twitter: @am_fitzpatrick. Hear him on "The Jump Page" and "The Best Podcast in the World" at soundcloud.com/enquirerpodcasting.