A Georgia high school senior claims she was forced to withdraw from school weeks before graduation because her prom date was transgender, going against the Christian academy’s values.
Emily Wright feared for her future as her family revealed the tumultuous month she experienced because her guest didn’t meet the standards of North Cobb Christian School, a private preparatory institute in Kennesaw, Georgia, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
Four weeks before graduation, Wright attended her school’s prom — held at an off-campus venue — where she was allowed to bring a guest who didn’t attend the school, but was threatened with expulsion after the dance.
Wright chose to bring a transgender male friend of hers to prom and received the required parental signature from her mother.
A non-student guest only had to meet the age requirements set by the school and venue, with the slip not mentioning anything against an individual being a part of the LGBTQ community, Wright’s mother said.
“It was off property. I did sign a form allowing her to bring a guest,” Tricia Wright told the outlet.
The older Wright knew her daughter could face backlash from the school, but still gave her consent.
Wright and her date attended the dance without any problems, but she was sitting in the principal’s office two weeks later.
The senior was questioned for details about her date that would be concerning to the Christian school.
“I was asked, ‘Is there anything we should know about the guest you brought to prom?’ And I knew exactly what they were talking about, so I said, ‘Yes, he’s transgender,’” Wright told the outlet.
The school’s principal then called Tricia Wright to confront her on her knowledge of the date’s gender identity, which the mother confirmed.
Tricia Wright learned her daughter was being kicked out of school during a phone call with education officials.
“I’m sorry, Ms. Wright, we’re going to have to expel Emily,” the principal said, according to the Wrights.
“I cried very hard. I was just thinking that my entire future was in jeopardy. ‘Where am I going to go to school? Where am I going to graduate?’” Wright said.
The school allegedly made a deal with the Wrights to allow the student to withdraw instead of being expelled.
Tricia Wright blasted the school for their lack of acceptance to her daughter’s date, saying it went against the institution’s Christian values for the “discriminatory decision.
“The school chose to kick out a senior student just four weeks before graduation simply because Emily was being inclusive and kind,” Tricia Wright wrote in a letter viewed by Atlanta News First.
Wright was accepted by a public high school, where she will graduate, allowing her to attend college.
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