Trafficked Virginia Girl's Mom Sues School District For Facilitating Covert Gender Transition, Abuse Nightmare

In a horrifying case that illustrates the clear necessity of parental rights and oversight in education, a Virginia family is taking legal action against a school board and district staff, alleging they covertly transitioned their teenage daughter to male—actions that ultimately led to her becoming a victim of sex trafficking.

Michele Blair has filed a lawsuit against the Appomattox County School Board, as well as district staff and a Maryland public defender. Blair says these parties transitioned her daughter, Sage, without parental consent, effectively stripping her of her rights as a parent. “They stole my right to protect my daughter,” Blair told the Washington Examiner. “I’m the parent; I am an expert on my child. There’s nobody in the school or court system that knows my daughter better than me.”

The lawsuit argues that the school’s actions directly resulted in Sage becoming a victim of a horrifying ordeal. According to Blair, her daughter Sage had a troubled past and mental health issues when she began attending Appomattox County High School in 2021. Staff at the school allegedly aided Sage in identifying as male, a decision deliberately hidden from her parents, according to the lawsuit. This lack of transparency is particularly troubling given the emotional and physical risks associated with such a significant life change.

Furthermore, Blair contends that the school was aware Sage was being bullied—verbally, physically, and sexually. The school even encouraged her to use the boys’ bathroom, she claims. The lawsuit states that these traumatic experiences led Sage to run away, only to be abducted and subjected to sexual abuse in multiple states.

It doesn’t end there. After Sage was eventually rescued by federal authorities, Baltimore public defender Aneesa Khan fought against the teenager’s return to her family. Khan argued the family was not “sufficiently affirming” of Sage’s new gender identity, according to Blair. Consequently, Sage was placed in a juvenile facility for adolescent males, “where she was again sexually assaulted, exposed to drugs, and denied medical and mental health care,” the lawsuit alleges.

The case has garnered the attention of Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, who is advocating for more parental involvement in education. “Sage’s tragic story demonstrates the importance of parental involvement,” a Youngkin spokesperson said. “For Sage and students, parents and teachers across the Commonwealth, the governor will continue to empower parents and ensure the privacy, dignity, and respect of all students with model policies.”

In defending the public defender’s actions, Natasha M. Dartigue, the top public defender in Maryland, told the Washington Examiner that Aneesa Khan “appropriately represented her client in accordance with her legal, ethical, and professional obligations.”

As for Sage, she suffers from complex post-traumatic stress disorder and must undergo “intensive in-patient and outpatient therapy,” according to Vernadette Broyles, an attorney with the Child & Parent Rights Campaign, who is representing the family.

Michele Blair says she is taking things “a day at a time,” working to ensure a brighter future for Sage, whose struggles are far from over. “She will always struggle with flashbacks of horrible, horrible memories,” Blair said. “But I will just love her through them all.”

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