Osseo Transgender Student Records Officials Forcing Open Stall

OSSEO, MN — Video posted on social media appears to show high school officials in Osseo forcing open a bathroom stall as a transgender student sits inside, and the school has come out with a statement in response to backlash that the student's privacy rights were been violated. In the minute-and-a-half video, posted Wednesday by Twitter user @kev_chillen, a student at Osseo Senior High School sits on a toilet and hits the record button as school officials use a long tool to reach over the stall and unlock the door from the inside. The door swings open and three adults can be seen in the bathroom staring back at the student.

"I'm using the bathroom right now and they just violated me," the student says in the video. The student repeatedly calls the adults perverts and adds:"I am so scared and violated right now. They just walked in the bathroom while I was using the bathroom for no reason."

The recording then shows the student being escorted out of the building by eight school officials.

The student wrote in a subsequent Facebook post: “I Guess I Can’t Use The Girls Bathroom Just Because I’m Transgender. Share This & MAKE IT GO VIRAL!!”

The video had been watched more than 5.5 million times by Sunday afternoon and garnered nearly 3,000 comments, 16,000 retweets and 51,000 likes. Many commenters said the school bungled the handling of the situation by forcing the door open.

"It doesn’t matter what your personal opinion is on transgenders or what bathroom they use what should matter was that GROWN ADULTS opened the bathroom door of a MINOR in a public setting if they had no problem doing it to this person whose to say they won’t do it to someone else," tweeted @zoie65455421.

Another user agreed, saying no one should be able to open a bathroom stall door while a child uses the bathroom unless someone was in danger.

OutFront Minnesota, the state's largest LGBTQ organization, told WCCO-TV in a statement that it's "imperative for students to be respected and affirmed in schools to thrive."

"When students feel bullied or invalidated for being who they are, their ability to learn and thrive in school is greatly diminished," Monica Meyer, the group's executive director, told the station. "It is the job of school districts, faculty and educators to provide spaces where Minnesota youth feel safe and welcome and are encouraged to live their full identities."

A day later, the principal issued a statement saying that social media posts "significantly" misrepresented what happened.

"It's important for you to know that no students were barred or banned from using any bathroom at Osseo Senior High," said Principal Michael Lehan. "I sincerely wish I could say more, but for data privacy reasons, I cannot provide details about a situation involving a specific student."

The principal said staff only intervenes in restroom use when there's safety concerns, health concerns, or suspicions of unlawful activity. He stressed that the school works every day to create an inclusive environment where students feel welcome and respected.

"Our staff regularly works with individual students and families who have varying needs, including needs related to identity," he said.

The school has remained mum on why the door had to be forced open.

Photo credit: Shutterstock