Cody Hillerace high school physical education teacher believes there are only two genders, boys and girls. He vigilantly makes sure they’re never in the same space by dividing them up and ensuring no one can peek into the other gender’s locker room. This is why, when a transgender boy attempted to change in the boy’s locker room, Cody Hiller – a physical education teacher – refused, and was consequently suspended from his job.
Now parents are asking the Illinois high school to allow the transgender boy to change in the boy’s locker room. Hiller, who has six children and is married, believes that transgender boys should get changed in the girl’s locker room because they were assigned female at birth.
Because he refused to let a transgender boy change in the boy’s locker room, Hiller was put on administrative leave last month from West Frankfort High School. Hiller refused to let the transgender boy get changed in the boy’s locker room, and he even tattled on the student to school leadership because he said that it “wouldn’t allow that to happen” under his watch as a physical education teacher at the Illinois high school.
“It’s not safe for anybody,” Hiller said. “This is not against this particular student, I feel for this student and I do believe there needs to be protections for that student. It’s just not in the boys’ locker room.”
Hiller is not the only one at the high school who believes in two genders, but he was willing to be the sole person to speak out against the transgender student’s wishes. The man believed that the other people were not brave enough to verbalize their disagreeing views on the transgender student due to probable retaliation like losing their job. He then went on to say that he can understand why they would be scared of such actions being taken against them.
“It wasn’t a choice,” Hiller added. He stated he would rather lose his job than have the transgender boy use the correct locker room. “If it costs me my job, then it costs me my job.”
Now, parents are speaking up in defense of Hiller and are asking the school board not to fire the physical education teacher. These conservative parents say that it would be better for the district if they “do the right thing.”
“This is a bad law,” James Conyers stated. “You need to stand up for good laws and laws that mean something to everyone. I’m disappointed in how you’ve done your jobs.”
Casey Smith, a mother of two, believes that “kids change their minds,” so she does not believe that this transgender boy is really a boy.
“What happens when they change their mind and my son is the one in the locker room with a child who’s now decided they’re a girl again?” Smith said.
Should transgender boys be allowed to use the facilities intended for boys?
