High School Apologizes for Deadnaming Trans Homecoming Candidate

Carroll High School, a public school in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has issued an apology to a transgender student after misgendering and deadnaming her on their homecoming court ballot.  

Grace Grabner was "horrified" to see her deadname listed under the Homecoming King list that was distributed around the school. “It was embarrassing and it took me back to middle school when that was the hardest time,” Grabner told Fort Wayne's ABC affiliate station WPTA 21. "It reminded me of everything that happened in middle school and how people treated me."

Though the high school senior has identified as female for the last six years, WPTA reports her gender hasn't been updated in their computer systems and it still listed incorrectly on her transcripts. Grabner called the incident "degrading" and even considered switching schools afterward. 

Northwest Allen County Schools says the error was an honest mix-up but took full responsibility for the situation in a formal apology.

"We made a mistake on our end and we apologize profusely that this error happened where we inadvertently took one student who should have been on one list and put them on the opposite list. That was our responsibility and our fault, and we feel terrible about it," said district spokesperson Lizette Downey in a statement.

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"This was not a policy decision, a political statement, or purposeful insensitivity to any person or group, it was an oversight. We sincerely apologize for this mistake and will take steps to prevent similar issues from occurring again in the future."

Since the incident, a Change.org petition has been set-up to "promote accommodation and support of transgender and gender non-conforming students" at Carroll High.

At the time of writing, the petition has received over 9,100+ signatures of its 10,000 signature goal.