A lawsuit filed against a New York elementary school alleges that one teacher "forced" and "manipulated' a fifth grade student into becoming transgender, which resulted in "suicidal ideation."
Three people were listed in the lawsuit against the Brookhaven-Comsewogue Union School District: Superintendent Jennifer J. Quinn, Terryville Road Elementary School Principal Annemarie V. Sciove, and teacher Debra Rosenquist, who allegedly "pursued her own agenda outside the [school] curriculum, which included persuading her fifth grade students to try 'being gay' or being another gender even when they were not. ... Rosenquist read and provided her students graphic books about gender and sexuality which were not on the curriculum."
The lawsuit states: "As a result, [the student] became confused as to her gender. Despite knowing about Rosenquist's conduct ... it took the District, [Superintendent] Quinn, and [Principal] Sciove months to inform [her parents] about it."
Also, according to the lawsuit, the fifth grader became "distressed by Rosenquist's referring to her as a male that she drew a picture of a girl and referenced suicide."
In one picture, the lawsuit alleges, the student wrote the words "I wanna kill myself" and "I feel sad like a lot."
Another component of the suit involves the school district initially being caught off guard by the allegations made against Rosenquist.
The district "had no idea Rosenquist taught from a book about LGBTQ+ individuals that was not part of the curriculum and how detailed the book was about transitioning, surgery, and hormones," read the lawsuit.
While teaching her students, Rosenquist allegedly read from a book titled "When Aidan Became a Brother," which chronicled the actions of a young girl who begins identifying as a boy.
According to Breitbart News, the mother in the "Aidan" book "goes along with the transition attempt, saying at one point, 'When you were born, we didn't know you were going to be our son. We made some mistakes, but you helped us fix them.'"
Representing the family of the fifth grader, attorney Debra Wabnik said in a statement: "The parents did not learn about what Rosenquist was forcing upon their daughter until it was discovered that the child had suicidal ideations.
"The psychological and social damage Rosenquist caused this child and her family was immense. Incredibly, the district still has Rosenquist in the classroom where she can similarly harm other innocent children," added Wabnik.
In a separate statement, the principal said, "After a thorough investigation and consultation with our attorney, action is [being] taken in accordance with applicable laws and collective bargaining agreements. Please be assured that this has been done."