Family of Trans Girl Who Faced Violent Threats in Oklahoma to Move to Houston

Last week, parents in Oklahoma made violent threats on social media toward a 12-year-old transgender girl who had used a school restroom in accordance with her gender identity. The incident prompted the school district in Achille, Oklahoma, to cancel classes for two days, and the girl’s mother to file a restraining order against one of the parents who threatened her child.

Now, the family of the trans girl, whose name is Maddie, plans to flee Achille and move to Houston.

Maddie’s mother, Brandy Rose, has six children, and her oldest daughter lives in Houston. Rose and her husband have wanted to move to Houston for years, but have been unable to afford it. After the threats toward Maddie made national news, Oklahoma City resident Anne Babb launched a GoFundMe campaign in support of the family.

“I had no idea that the family had been wanting to move and had even tried to move to Houston a few years ago, and she had no idea that a total stranger had the same idea,” Babb said.

Rose said the family actually moved to Oklahoma after Maddie was assaulted in a boys restroom at school in Sherman, Texas, two years ago.

“We have family in Houston that have been wanting us to move to them for years, but it has just never been a financial possibility,” Rose said on the GoFundMe page. “We actually tried a few years ago, but it all just fell apart, and was a mess. If we had the financial means to actually move, and get set up there, close to our family, and in a city that has so many more resources for Maddie, it would literally be life changing.”

In only a few days, the GoFundMe campaign had surpassed its goal of $15,000 for moving expenses. But it will remain active through the end of August, with donations also going toward Maddie’s counseling and medical care.

It’s worth noting that the Houston Independent School District, the seventh-largest in the U.S., has had a nondiscrimination policy that includes transgender students since 2011.

To contribute to the fundraising campaign, go here.