When you first meet Kyle Mournian you'll notice his beard, tattoos and voice, and identify him as a man.
He was born a female, but began his transition at 15 years old.
“I am being who I am,” he said.
Mournian’s tattoo marks when he started living as a boy during his sophomore year at Deltona High School in 2013.
He said the Volusia County school district made him use single-user restrooms that often farther away from his classes and locked.
"Going through an 8-hour day at school and having access to the restroom by asking a dean and having a key was really stressful,” Mournian said.
He said he was denied access to the boys’ restrooms and threatened with discipline.
It's a similar story to the 15-year-old boy referred to as "John Doe" in a lawsuit against the Volusia County School Board.
John Doe’s family said he's endured discrimination when he started living as a boy at the age of 7
They said he's pulling out his eyelashes to deal with the stress.
"No one should have to go through that type of emotional distress," Mournian said.
The lawsuit said John Doe's peers and teachers accept him as a boy, but specially designated facilities, "Undermined his male identity, and singled him out."
According to the lawsuit, one of the restroom options for John Doe was a portable toilet.
The lawsuit claims the bathroom issue is negatively impacting the student’s studies and discouraging him from trying out for sports.
Mournian hopes the student and his family have the courage and strength to see the lawsuit through, and hopes the courts force Volusia County schools to let transgender children use the bathroom of their choice.
"It's showing, ‘Hey, we're here and we're not going anywhere,’" said Mournian.
Cox Media Group
