The bill, which bans trans people from using bathrooms that do not match their birth gender, sparked an immediate response from the trans community.

The third-year Wake Forest grad student decided to post a personal response to North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory, listing his personal frustrations. The post has been steadily circulating online since it was published last week.

“This is what trans looks like, Gov. McCrory,” Adam Plant writes. “I am trans, I am queer, I am a lover, a writer, an actor, and a singer.”

The rest of the post reads:

I am tired of the stares, the murmured hate, the aggression when I dare to hold another man’s hand on the street.
I am tired of my racing heartbeat, the catch in my breath, the worst case scenarios I have to think of when I walk in a public bathroom.
I am tired of my state supporting hatred and bigotry.
I am tired.
But that doesn’t mean I will ever stop fighting.
This is what trans looks like, Gov. McCrory. I am trans, I am queer, I am a lover, a writer, an actor, and a singer. I am a person of faith and when I was formed from the dust of the earth, the same breath of life that filled your lungs also filled mine. Do not mistake your privilege for superiority. It will not serve you forever. But for now, at the risk of sounding crude, suck it, McCrory.
I am trans, and I am not going away. Deal with it.

Plant originally posted the message privately, only setting it to public after urging from his friends. It now has well over 6,000 likes and has been shared thousands of times.

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“I had been struggling all weekend to articulate how I felt about the passing of HB2, but couldn’t find the words to express how I was feeling,” Plant told BuzzFeed News.

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Jenny L. Viars, Dancing Lemur Photography

A dedicated man of faith, Plant is currently studying at Wake Forest’s School of Divinity. The idea to publicly air his grievances was sparked during a discussion in his Old Testament class.

“We were talking about the book of Psalms. One of the forms that the Psalms take are laments, and my professor described them as ‘complaining in faith to God’ — a way for people to express their feelings of anger, frustration, and grief and to feel as if someone was hearing them,” Plant explained.

He added that writing the post was “cathartic.”

“[It was] a release of many conflicting emotions that I was no longer able to contain,” he said.

“It has been so overwhelming,” Plant said of the response his post has received. “The support and affirmation I have received has been incredibly moving.”

Plant hopes to use his voice and “relative place of privilege” to continue advocating for those the bill targets.

“The South is full of good, loving people, and this is not the picture that I want to be painted of our state,” he said. “We are not this.”

Source
Author: Sarah Karlan

According to WISTV, a local news outlet, the district has received special permission from Anna’s biological parents in order to try and clear up some of the allegations being put against them.

The district has issued statements that Anna is actually no where near eligible for graduation. While Foster claims that she enrolled as a Junior in August of 2015, and eligible for early graduation this year- her officials transcript shows that she has completed less than 25% of her required coursework for graduation. Currently she sits at 4.5 credits out of 24 total credits needed, technically slating her as a freshman.

Before official consent was given from the biological parents, the district did issue a press release that gave what information they were legally allowed at the time, stating in fact she was only a freshman.

The Lexington County School District has went on to state that her suspension and possible expulsion have nothing to do with bathroom usage but rather a turbulent behavioral record which saw her largely refuse to attend class.

“In fact, on Tuesday, March 1, 2016, due to her continued refusal to attend class, administrators held a special review meeting with her and placed her on probation,” the district said. “Most recently, on Thursday, April 28, 2016, she was suspended and recommended for expulsion — again, for refusing to attend class.”

Regarding the bathroom issue, a spokesperson for the district revealed that Anna has been given a special pass that gives her permission to be late to any class or function so that she has time to use the restroom.

An unnamed source, close to the issue, disclosed to TOL how disruptive these proceedings have been to the school and that they have jeopardized several individuals jobs.

According to WIST, Foster’s supporters have asked several Midlands lawmakers to intervene. We spoke to a couple of them, and one, Lexington Sen. Katrina Shealy said she’s willing to step in to battle for Anna’s rights. But based on what she knows right now, Shealy says “there’s no fight to be had.”

While this still doesn’t respond to some of the claims of harassment from teachers, or other school treatment- and certainly doesn’t approach the issue of only allowing a trans student to use one remote bathroom; these facts do shine a new light on the case.

As of this writing, Anna Foster has reached out to TOL to talk but we have been unable to connect yet. We hope to get her response soon.

Editor’s note- We certainly don’t want to take away from the bathroom argument, in that it is ridiculous to assign trans students separate facilities, but it is important that we present all facts as we get them so that we can present a clear and fair picture that doesn’t damage the transgender community’s credibility in any way.