Parents sue school for treating 7-year-old transgender daughter like a boy

California parents Priya Shah and Jaspret Brar sued their child's private school for reportedly discriminating against their seven-year-old transgender child.

Their daughter, Nikki, is biologically male, but according to her parents, identifies as female.

The lawsuit complained that the Heritage Oak Private Education school in Yorba Linda, California, "unlawfully discriminated against Nikki," and "repudiated Nikki's core identity."

"It refused to use the name, pronoun, and gender corresponding to Nikki’s gender identity, required Nikki to wear the boy’s uniform and use the boy’s restroom, and failed to address the bullying that Nikki was subjected to because of her gender identity and gender expression," the complaint read.

The suit also alleged that Nikki was depressed and considered self-harm as a result of her treatment at the school. Nikki reportedly felt ostracized from other children, and claimed that the school forcing its gender identity on her tamped down her "inner light."

Things came to a head, according to the suit, when Nikki tore a photo of herself in half and declared that she hated herself. Nikki was pulled out of the school and homeschooled for the remainder of the year.

The complaint added, “It is a scientific truth that, for certain children, their inner sense of themselves—their gender identity—does not correspond to the sex assigned to them at birth."

A statement issued to the Orange County Register, Heritage Oak said that they previously had accommodated another, older transgender student, and made attempts to work with Nikki's parents.

The school claimed that Nikki's parents rebuffed their attempts to accommodate the child.