An outspoken mom fighting back against a Florida school district after her daughter experienced gender confusion is on a mission to help other parents maintain their rights.
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“This started for my family at the height of COVID in 2020,” January Littlejohn told CBN News. “Our daughter fell prey to the lies of gender identity ideology and that she was born in the wrong body in May of 2020. And so this was shortly after three of her friends at our local middle school had also started suddenly identifying as some form of transgender.”
At the time, Littlejohn, who was recognized by President Donald Trump during his address to a joint session of Congress earlier this month, said “very little” was known about this “social contagion.”
She said she and her family, who were aware their daughter was struggling, initially trusted the school and officials with the Leon County school system.
“Like so many parents, I trusted the school,” she said. “I had no reason at that time not to, and, in fact, I was volunteer of the year at the school. I was a huge proponent for public schools and teachers. I dedicated hundreds of hours to volunteering in the classroom.”
Littlejohn said she reached out to her daughter’s teacher and disclosed what was happening with her daughter. She told the educator she was “not affirming any kind of false sexual identity” and that she was engaging a counselor to assist.
“We did know that our child was struggling and we were very concerned as her parents, because nobody loves and knows their child more than a parent does,” she said. “So we were handling this as a family.”
Littlejohn has been embroiled in a legal challenge rooted in what she claims happened after her initial email to the teacher. She said her daughter met with the school without her knowledge and was asked questions about restrooms, among other issues.
“I thought what we were discussing was my child using a nickname,” Littlejohn said. “Two weeks later, my 13-year-old daughter got into the car and told me that she had a meeting at school, and they asked her which restroom she wanted to use.”
She continued, “I immediately emailed the school counselor because I was very alarmed. No. 1, that they had a meeting with my daughter that I was not invited to attend. But, No. 2, why were they asking her which restroom she wanted to use?”
Littlejohn said a transgender transition plan was essentially created “behind closed doors” with a social worker, school counselor, and assistant principal — and that she had no idea.
“When the guidance counselor called me back that same day I had emailed her with the assistant principal, they initially told me they could not give me any information about the secret meeting they held with my daughter,” she said. “They told me my daughter had to be the one to consent to giving me any information. So, you know, that’s really what propelled us down this pathway.”
Littlejohn said it was weeks before she and her husband were able to see the support plan in question — something she said went well beyond choosing a nickname.
“They asked her which restroom and locker room she preferred to use, which sex she preferred to room with on overnight field trips,” she said. “And they put the burden of whether or not the parent will be notified or even aware that these type of secret social transitions occur because they ask the child, ‘How should we refer to you when speaking to your parent? Should we use your birth name and pronouns or your preferred name and pronouns?'”
Littlejohn said these types of plans are being crafted all over the country, and argued the school district in question took her ability away to keep her daughter safe.
“That plan created a huge wedge between us and our daughter,” she said. “And it sent her a very clear message that not only was our authority no longer wanted or needed, but that she needed to be protected from us, not by us.”
Vernadette Broyles, an attorney with the Child and Parental Rights Campaign who represents Littlejohn, corroborated the notion that these battles continue to fester across the nation.
“We talk to parents all over the country,” she said. “We have five other federal lawsuits … right now.”
As for Littlejohn, she said her issue with the district took form in the fall of 2020 and that it wasn’t until Oct. 2021 that she and her husband decided to file a lawsuit.
“I want to make it very clear to your audience that we tried very hard to resolve this issue with the school district,” she said. “Filing a lawsuit was never even on our mind when this first happened, but it became very clear that the school district was not going to stop.”
Littlejohn and Broyles also came together to create the “Church Transgender Response Guide,” an informational handbook to help Christians and churches navigate the issue.
“In this guide, it’s everything from what is being taught in school, how it’s being taught in school, how to protect and safeguard your children from this ideology itself,” Littlejohn said. “This resource is a wonderful resource for parents and pastors, not only to understand what’s happening, to protect your children, because we must be inoculating these children as we are changing the culture.”
Littlejohn has remained in a legal battle against the school district at the center of the dispute over her daughter. After her discussion with CBN News, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals issued a 2-1 decision against the Littlejohns.
This decision upheld a previous ruling by Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker to dismiss the Littlejohn lawsuit, though the court was divided. The Littlejohns and attorneys are reportedly reviewing options.
“The panel concluded that the Littlejohns failed to meet the ‘shock the conscience’ standard that the panel claimed was required to challenge violations of their parental rights by Leon County Schools,” the Child & Parental Rights Campaign said in a statement. “CPRC strongly disagrees with this ruling and is actively reviewing options to ensure this decision does not stand unchallenged.”
CBN News reached out to Leon County Schools for comment but, at the time of publication, no response has been received.
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