Lawsuit: New York Teacher ‘Manipulated’ Fifth Grader into Becoming Transgender

A New York teacher “forced” and “manipulated” a fifth-grade student into becoming transgender, causing suicidal ideation, a lawsuit filed against a school district alleges.

Teacher Debra Rosenquist of Terryville Road Elementary School in the Brookhaven-Comsewogue School District was named in the lawsuit, as was the superintendent, Jennifer J. Quinn, and the principal, Annemarie V. Sciove.

The suit, which maintains anonymity for the students and her parents, alleges that a female student was targeted by Rosenquist during the 2021-2022 school year, when the teacher began using male pronouns and a male name for the young student.

The suit states, “As a result, [the student] became confused as to her gender. Despite knowing about Rosenquist’s conduct…, it took the District, [Superintendent] Quinn, and [Principal] Sciove months to inform [her parents] about it.”

It goes on to add, “Rosenquist pursued her own agenda outside the curriculum, which included persuading her 5th-grade students to try ‘being gay’ or being another gender even when they were not.”

Additionally, “Rosenquist read and provided her students graphic books about gender and sexuality which were not on the curriculum.”

Meanwhile, the suit states that during a meeting with parents, the district “had no idea Rosenquist taught from a book about LGBTQ+ individuals that was not part of the curriculum and how detailed the book was about transitioning, surgery, and hormones.” 

One book that Rosenquist allegedly read from was When Aidan Became a Brother, which is about a young girl who begins identifying as a boy. The mother in the story goes along with the transition attempt, saying at one point, “When you were born, we didn’t know you were going to be our son. We made some mistakes, but you helped us fix them.”

Attorney Debra Wabnik explained in a statement, “The parents did not learn about what Rosenquist was forcing upon their daughter until it was discovered that the child had suicidal ideations.”

“The psychological and social damage Rosenquist caused this child and her family was immense. Incredibly, the District still has Rosenquist in the classroom where she can similarly harm other innocent children,” Wabnik added.

The lawsuit explains that the student became so “distressed by Rosenquist’s referring to her as a male that she drew a picture of a girl and referenced suicide.” In one picture, the student wrote the words “I wanna kill myself,” and “I feel sad like a lot.”

Meanwhile, Superintendent Quinn gave a statement, remarking, “After a thorough investigation and consultation with our attorney, action is [being] taken in accordance with applicable laws and collective bargaining agreements. Please be assured that this has been done.”

This is not the first instance of school officials encouraging transgender identity among students without parental consent. In one instance, a social worker at a school in Maine actually assisted a student in an attempt to transition, giving her a breast binder without her mother’s consent.

Spencer Lindquist is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerLndqst and reach out at slindquist@breitbart.com.