Texas mom fighting school over transgender bathroom policies

TEXAS (KXAN) – A North Texas woman is asking school officials to let her transgender child use the girl’s bathroom.

Five-year-old Kai has lived as a girl for the past two years. She is about to start kindergarten and her mother is asking the Pearland Independent School District to let Kai use the girl’s restroom.

“Please understand I’m not fighting about bathrooms, I’m fighting about her life, I’m fighting about her well-being, I’m fighting for her happiness, I’m fighting for her future,” said Kim Shappley, Kai’s mother.

The district responded with a statement saying all students must use the bathroom corresponding with the sex on their birth certificate.

The state of Texas is leading the charge against President Obama’s transgender bathroom policy. In May, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick urged school districts to ignore the president’s request to allow transgender students to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with. School districts who don’t follow Obama’s request risk losing federal fundingTexas and 10 other states filed a lawsuit challenging Obama’s request.