A legal battle is brewing in Virginia as a nonbinary student takes on a school board over an event they claim violates their rights. The complaint was filed by J. Doe in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia on November 17, 2025, against the Albemarle County School Board. At the heart of the case is an event titled “Two Genders: One Truth,” hosted by a club at Western Albemarle High School, which J. Doe argues is discriminatory against transgender and gender-diverse students.
J. Doe, a nonbinary student at an Albemarle County Public Schools high school, alleges that the school board’s decision to allow this event violates Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. This federal law prohibits discrimination based on sex in any education program receiving federal financial assistance. According to the complaint, the event, featuring guest speaker Victoria Cobb from the Family Foundation, promotes views that are hostile towards transgender individuals and could lead to harassment and discrimination within the school environment.
The plaintiff’s experience with gender dysphoria has been challenging, exacerbated by societal stigma and discrimination. They have faced misgendering and other forms of prejudice at school, leading to significant anxiety and depression. The plaintiff felt demoralized upon learning about the event, which they believe contradicts their school’s policy aimed at maintaining a safe environment for all students. The plaintiff contends that allowing such an event undermines these policies and exposes them and their peers to harm.
In response to community backlash and legal pressure from organizations like Founding Freedoms Law Center (FFLC), which argued that prohibiting the event constituted unlawful viewpoint discrimination, the school board initially canceled but later reinstated it during school hours. This decision prompted further outrage from various community members who expressed concerns about its potential impact on transgender students’ mental health and safety.
J. Doe seeks several remedies from the court: a declaration that permitting this event violates Title IX; nominal damages; a permanent injunction preventing similar events; reimbursement for legal costs; and any additional relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing J. Doe are attorneys Alexis I. Tahinci of Tahinci Law Firm PLLC and Lauren E. Baum of Law Office of Lauren E. Baum PC, with Judge JHY-JCH presiding over Case No. 3:25-cv-00094.
Source: 325cv00094_Doe_v_Albemarle_County_School_Board_Complaint_Western_District_Virginia.pdf
