California Father Continues To Fight
for Son’s Freedom From Gender Discrimination

Date: 27-Oct-2003

PACIFICA, Cal. – The Pacifica School District board of trustees voted unanimously Oct. 8 to deny the $100,000 claim of a parent who says his son repeatedly suffered gender discrimination at the hands of fellow classmates, the Pacifica Tribune reported.

Mark Shaposhnikov says he has recorded incidences in which 33 students of Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School have harassed his son with epithets like “gay fashion model,” “fag,” and “girl.” Shaposhnikov says his son faces on ongoing taunting and assaults because he is a champion ballroom dancer.

Shaposhnikov had met repeatedly with school administers, but says that he has seen that little or no improvement in the taunting his son endures.

Shaposhnikov told the Tribune, “Now we go to court. They are in clear violation of state and federal laws. It doesn’t matter how many workshops they had, enforcement was important. I want to expose what’s going on here. They knew about it from the first week of school.”

Shaposhnikov said any punitive damages he may win will be donated to charity. Paul Smoot, Shaposhnikov’s attorney, told the Tribune that the case is similar to previous suit filed successfully against the school district, adding “You just destroy a kid’s self-esteem. That shouldn’t happen.”