A transgender student filmed three boys in a Virginia high school locker room who he claimed were bullying him for his gender identity.
His effort to exclude them backfired when the parents of the boys accused of bullying and the governor of the state questioned the reason behind filming the three boys in the locker room.
Earlier this month, an inquiry under Title IX was initiated by Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) after a transgender student recorded a group of friends who felt uneasy with a biological female in the changing area.
Stone Bridge High School, where the video was taken, is probing the incident as a sexual harassment case.
The video, obtained exclusively by ABC 7 on Friday, reveals what truly transpired in the locker room.
The families of the teens accused of harassment were allegedly denied copies of the footage at first.
In the video, the transgender boy appears to enter the locker room with his phone in his pocket, causing a reaction from the teenagers inside and leading them to converse with each other.
‘There’s a girl in here? There’s a girl?’ one boy is heard asking.
Stone Bridge High School (pictured), where the video was taken, is probing the incident as a sexual harassment case
About 30 seconds later, another boy adds, ‘Why is there a girl? I’m so uncomfortable there is a girl.’
‘A female, bro, get out of here,’ someone says.
Then, the trans takes his phone out of his pocket and point it directly at the students who were making the comments.
Parents were finally able to obtain the video through the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), which has the video because officers are investigating if the trans student committed a crime by recording minors in the dressing room.
LCPS explicitly bans locker room recordings, but in an email to Wolfe, a representative allegedly told him the video did not compromise anyone’s privacy.
The parents have questioned why the student behind the camera is not being penalized for violating their privacy.
‘I have a daughter that’s in high school as well, and if there was a male in there videotaping her in the locker room, I would have issues,’ Seth Wolfe, a father of one of the accused, told ABC 7.
‘If it’s my son and there’s a female in the locker room videotaping, I have issues. Even if it was somebody of the same sex, I believe that this is an invasion of their privacy.’
Wolfe also claimed the LCPS investigator tried to grill his son into confession to something he did not do.
‘I don’t even think the Title IX investigation is justified,’ Renae Smith (pictured) told ABC 7
Seth Wolfe (pictured) said if the roles were reversed – if a transgender girl started recording in a locker room – this investigation would be a different story
‘They didn’t show us the video until after they had tried to get my son to say who said what and all this kind of stuff,’ Wolfe told the outlet.
‘But then once we saw the video, then we started asking about those context questions and how that can be left out. And they didn’t really have a good answer for that.’
‘I don’t even think the Title IX investigation is justified,’ Renae Smith, another boy’s mothers, told ABC 7.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has released a statement expressing ‘outrage’ over reports that LCPS is investigating the three male students.
‘It’s deeply concerning to read reports of yet another incident in Loudoun County schools where members of the opposite sex are violating the privacy of students in locker rooms,’ Youngkin said.
‘Even more alarming, the victims of this violation are the ones being investigated – this is beyond belief.’
He asked Attorney General Jason Miyares to look into the situation.
A lawyer hired to represent the three boys, Josh Hetzler, told NBC4 these kinds of allegations can be detrimental to the futures of young men.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin (pictured) has released a statement expressing ‘outrage’ over reports that LCPS is investigating the three male students
‘These have a way of really stigmatizing them, especially when they’re unfounded like this one,’ he told the outlet.
The latest to break their silence on the matter is Pastor Gary Hamrick of Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg.
‘Enough is enough,’ he said, addressing thousands of service attendees on Sunday.
He urged congregants to show support for the boys’ families and attend school board hearings about the sexual harassment case.
LCPS previously told DailyMail.com that allegations aired in the media are ‘false’, but said due to their ongoing investigation they could not clarify which points were incorrect.
‘To be absolutely clear: Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) would not investigate or discipline students based on their personal opinions, thoughts, or beliefs, provided those expressions do not violate policies prohibiting hate speech, discriminatory language, threats, or other forms of harmful or disruptive conduct,’ the school said in a statement.
‘However, LCPS does investigate and may take disciplinary action when student behavior violates LCPS’ Student Rights & Responsibilities Handbook for Families and Student Code of Conduct.
‘Because this matter could result in discipline, LCPS will not discuss the specifics of the incident publicly.
‘Student privacy is a fundamental right protected by both policy and law, and LCPS is firmly committed to upholding that principle without exception.
Attorney General Jason Miyares (pictured) is investigating the school district and its policies
‘Our decision not to comment on the matter should not be taken as license for any news organization to determine what the facts are without verification.’
LCPS’ policy allows trans students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their identities.
But a board member, Deana Griffiths, told ABC 7 changes must be made to the rules to ensure all children feel safe and protected in schools.
She said this problem stemmed from even creating an environment where biological males and females could share the same vulnerable spaces.
‘What we are seeing and will continue to see, are the consequences of policies that have introduced confusion and conflict into spaces that were once clear and safe—especially for young children,’ she wrote.
‘The truth is, many of these issues would never have arisen if we had upheld the basic principle that boys and girls are biologically different.’
Miyares’ office is investigating the Title IX case at Stone Bridge High School.
The US Department of Education is investigating LCPS and four other Virginia school districts for their policies allowing students to use private spaces based on identity not biological sex.
