News
Mississippi school faces lawsuit over bullied lesbian student
SPLC takes action for 17-year-old called an ‘in-between it’ by teacher
Destin Holmes (bottom) faced discrimination for being a lesbian at her school. She’s shown here with her grandmother, Jennifer Holmes. (Photo courtesy Southern Poverty Law Center).
A lesbian student at a Mississippi high school is taking action against her school district over harassment and discrimination she says she’s faced from students and administrators over her sexual orientation and appearance.
The Southern Poverty Law Center on Tuesday filed a lawsuit on behalf of Destin Holmes, a 17-year-old student at Moss Point High School, seeking a resolution to put in place a new policy to protect gender nonconforming students like her from bullying and discrimination.
During a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, Holmes said she endured harsh torments over her sexual orientation and preference to wear a baseball cap over more traditionally female attire.
“When I was in middle school, the teachers and students called me an ‘it,'” Holmes said. “I’m not an ‘it.’ I am a person, a teenager, a human being. Just because I prefer to date the same gender, wear hats or non-girly … clothes doesn’t mean I should be isolated and made fun of because of it.”
Anjali Nair, staff attorney with the Southern Poverty Law Center, said the harassment against Destin was pervasive from both students and administrators at the school, where she heard insults as many as 20 times a day and one teacher denied her access to the girl’s restroom.
“Another teacher even refused to allow her to participate in a classroom activity where teams were divided by gender because Destin, according to the teacher, was an ‘in-between it,'” Nair said.
Nair said Destin was eventually driven out of Magnolia Junior High after the then-principle called her a “pathetic fool” and told Destin, “I don’t want a dyke in this school.”
“At a time when families and communities across the country are trying to teach children the consequences of bullying, it is tragic that the Moss Point school district chooses to ignore those lessons,” Nair said.
Nair said her organization attempted to reach a resolution with the school district in March, writing a demand letter to the school seeking change through administrative means, but those efforts were unsuccessful.
Also on the conference call with reporters was Jennifer Holmes, Destin’s grandmother, who also lives in Moss Point and said the school has been reluctant to make changes after requests from her and Destin’s father.
“For the past two years, we’ve tried everything we could with the school, but they did little or nothing,” Holmes said. “In some ways, administrators made the situation worse for Destin. We had to pull her out of school eventually, despite having numerous meetings and conversations with the administrators.”
The 21-page complaint sues the Moss Point School District on the basis of Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1972, which prohibits schools from discriminating on the basis of gender, and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The complaint seeks damages for Destin, an injunction barring the school from allowing discrimination against Destin and other students like her and the implementation of new polices to foster a more inclusive environment.
Although SPLC is asking the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi to take action, Nair said the school on its own can still take “concrete action” to rectify the situation.
“This can stem from trainings that are provided to school students, district and staff to address the rights of LGBT students and the rights of students to be free from discrimination on the basis of their gender,” Nair said. “This can include policies and practices that are implemented within the district so that district administrators know the proper steps to take in investigating and responding to reports of harassment.”
In a joint statement provided on Tuesday to the Washington Blade, Moss Point School Board President Clifton Magee and Superintendent Maggie Griffin said the district hasn’t been served yet with the lawsuit and cannot speak to the claims because they’re a matter of litigation.
“Protecting our students from acts of bullying, harassment, intimidation and threats by any individual is our highest priority,” Magee and Griffin said. “The district has in place policies and procedures to ensure that our students are free from discrimination and bullying. We, as most districts across the nation, try to ensure that students in our schools are safe and secure.”
For Destin, the goal of achieving a resolution with her school district is about ensuring a safe place to learn for herself and others facing discrimination because of gender non-conformity.
“I wish I could go to school without being afraid to be who I am,” Destin said. “I’m a human being and I should be treated that way. I’m here to take a stand and speak up for myself and for others who are not in a position to do so. I don’t want anyone to go through what I’ve been through.”
Virginia
Black transgender woman murdered in Va.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray killed in Petersburg on March 13
A Black transgender woman was murdered in Petersburg, Va., on March 13.
Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray, who was also known as Mable, was a drag queen who won the Miss Mayflower EOY pageant in 2015. Reports also indicate she was a well-known community activist in Virginia and in North Carolina.
Local media reports indicate police officers found Sanchez-McCray, 42, shot to death inside a home in Petersburg. These initial media reports also misgendered her.
“My heart is shattered and heavy with grief at the news of Shyyell Diamond Sanchez-McCray’s murder — the first trans life stolen from us this year,” said Victoria Kirby York, director of public policy and programs for the National Black Justice Coalition, in a statement.
Kirby York in her statement also criticized the media coverage of Sanchez-McCray’s murder.
“The early reports of Shyyell’s death stripped her of her identity by misgendering her, a deeply damaging and persistent failure by law enforcement and media that haunts these cases again and again,” she said. “Misgendering doesn’t just erase a person’s truth — it can derail justice entirely, or worse, bury a case in silence as investigators chase the wrong identity, the wrong face, the wrong name.”
Authorities have not made any arrests.
The Petersburg Bureau of Police has asked anyone with information about Sanchez-McCray’s murder to call Petersburg-Dinwiddie Crime Solvers at 804-861-1212.
District of Columbia
Trans Day of Visibility events planned
Rally on the National Mall scheduled for Saturday
The Christopher Street Project has a number of events planned for the 2026 Trans Day of Visibility, including a rally on the Mall and an “Empowerment Ball” at the Eaton Hotel. Plenaries, panel discussions and meetings with members of Congress are scheduled in the three days of programming.
Announced speakers include N.H. state Rep. Alice Wade; Commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago Precious Brady-Davis; activist and performer Miss Peppermint (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”); Lexington, Ky. Councilwoman Emma Curtis; Rabbi Abby Stein; D.C. activist and host Rayceen Pendarvis; Air Force Master Sgt. Logan Ireland; among other leaders, advocates and performers.
Conference programming on Thursday and Friday includes an educational forum and a Capitol Hill policy education day. Registration for the two-day conference has closed.
The “Trans Day of Visibility PAC Reception” is scheduled for Thursday, March 26 from 7:30-9 p.m. at As You Are (500 8th St., S.E.). Special guests include Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nevada) and Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). Tickets are available at christopherstreetproject.org starting at $25.
The National Council of Jewish Women and the Christopher Street Project host a “Trans Day of Visibility Shabbat” on Friday, March 27 from 7-8 p.m. at Sixth & I (600 I St., N.W.). The service is to be led by Rabbi Jenna Shaw and Rabbi Abby Stein.
The “Now You See Me: Trans Empowerment Social & Ball” is scheduled for Friday, March 27 from 6-11 p.m. at the Eaton Hotel (1201 K. St., N.W.). The trans-themed drag ball is hosted by the Marsha P. Johnson Institute with support from the D.C. Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs, the Capital Ballroom Council, the Christopher Street Project, the Center for Black Equity, Generation for Common Good, and Parenting is Political. RSVP online at christopherstreetproject.org.
The National Transgender Day of Visibility Rally is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 on the National Mall at 11 a.m. The rally will include speakers and performances. Following the rally, attendees are encouraged to participate in the “No Kings” rally being held at Anacostia Park.
Virginia
Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ends
Voters in November will consider repealing marriage amendment
The Virginia General Assembly’s 2026 legislative session ended on March 14.
Lawmakers have yet to approve a budget, but they did pass a resolution that paves the way for a referendum on whether to repeal the state’s constitutional amendment that defines marriage as between a man and a woman. Lawmakers also advanced House Bill 60, which would protect PrEP users from insurance discrimination.
Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger has until April 13 to decide to pass, amend, or veto legislation before it goes back to the House of Delegates on April 22.
Spanberger on Feb. 6 signed the bill that sets the stage for the marriage amendment referendum. Voters will consider whether to “remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?”
Equality Virginia has been working during this legislative cycle to urge lawmakers to allocate funding towards LGBTQ rights. The budget would expand funding for schools, competency training for the 988 suicide hotline, and funding to provide gender affirming care to LGBTQ youth.
“As the budget moves through conference and the Reconvene Session approaches on April 22, Equality Virginia remains focused on ensuring our victories this session translate into durable protections,” Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman told the Washington Blade in a statement. “Progress on marriage equality, nondiscrimination protections, and HIV care funding was essential, but Virginia must do more.”
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