Tim McKinney, Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence, LGBTQ+ Resource and Program Director helps hold down a 200-ft-long LGBTQ+ pride flag unveiled on Independence Mall at 6th and Market Street to kick off Pride month in JuneIn the latest growing battle over parental rights in New Jersey, a Cherry Hill father has filed a lawsuit over a policy that doesn’t notify parents when transgender students change their name or preferred pronoun.
Cherry Hill, the 12th-largest school system in the state with about 12,000 students, adopted what it described as a “student-centered” transgender policy in 2019 that accepts “a student’s asserted gender identity.” Parental consent is not required,“A transgender student shall be addressed at school by the name and pronoun chosen by the student, regardless of whether a legal name change or change in official school records has occurred,” according to the policy.In the lawsuit filed Oct. 12 in U.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin filed civil rights complaints to block all four districts from implementing the policies, arguing the policies discriminate against LGBTQ+ students. He said the policies pose a threat to students’ safety and mental health