Transgender Georgia high school student calls for change to who can run for homecoming queen

A Clayton County high school student has started a petition attempting to change the rules about who can run for homecoming queen.

Riley Williams, a transgender teen who attends Clayton County's Charles R. Drew High School, writes in the Change.org petition that she was barred from running for the homecoming position due to state policy, which she says "enforces traditional gender roles on students."

"The policy in question requires students to run for homecoming court positions based strictly on the gender assigned at birth, ignoring their authentic gender identity," Williams wrote. "This not only infringes upon the rights of transgender students like myself, but it also promotes an environment of exclusion and discrimination."

Williams urged state and local leaders to make a change and repeal the policy, arguing that it will foster an environment "where diversity is celebrated, not penalized."

"School should be a place of acceptance, where every student can express themselves freely and authentically," she wrote.

The petition, created in September, has received more than 1,200 signatures as of Thursday afternoon.

In a statement to CBS News Atlanta, a spokesperson for Clayton County said that while they respect the right of students to express their identities, they are required to follow the current federal government interpretation of Title IX. 

While under the Biden and Obama administrations, the Education Department interpreted Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education, to include protections for transgender and gay students, the Trump administration has used the law against schools that make accommodations for transgender students and athletes. It has filed lawsuits over state policies permitting transgender students to participate in interscholastic sports, and opened civil rights investigations into schools and universities over their policies on transgender students.

The school district's full statement is below:

Clayton County Public Schools (CCPS) is committed to providing a welcoming and supportive learning environment where every student is treated with dignity and respect. In doing so, we recognize and respect the individual identities and expressions of our students.

However, we also must acknowledge the District's responsibility to comply with applicable federal requirements. As a public school system, CCPS is required to operate in accordance with federal law, regulations, and guidance. Under the current federal interpretation and enforcement of Title IX, gender-based distinctions are recognized based on biological sex. 

Accordingly, where participation in a school activity involves a designation based specifically on gender, the District relies upon the birth gender reflected in a student's official educational records in making that determination, and not gender identity. So, while the District does not have a policy that speaks to students participating in Homecoming Court based on gender identity, we adhere to the current practice of allowing that participation in accordance with traditional birth gender.

We remain committed to supporting all students and fostering school communities where all students feel valued as members of the CCPS community. To that end, CCPS respects the right of students to express their individual identities, as we balance the requests of our student population individually and/or collectively and legal matters affecting the district as a whole.