PASCO COUNTY, Fla — Wednesday was the first day for new bathroom guidelines inside Pasco County Schools. Students must use the bathroom that corresponds with their biological sex at birth.
One transgender student shared how this impacted him.
"I’ve always been somewhat unhappy living as a girl when I did live as such," said Toby Fennell, a senior at Cypress Creek High School.
Fennell was born female. Four years ago he made a painful, personal and profound decision.
"I came out to my parents when I was 14, which was right before I went into high school and then I started to live as male after that," Fennell said.
As a transgender teen boy, Fennell has spent all four years using the men's bathroom.
"I know that if I didn’t pass as well as I generally do, I probably wouldn’t use the men’s bathroom just out of the comfortability of the people around me and just for my own safety as well," Fennell said.
Fennell explained that using the men's bathroom has never been an issue.
"I’ve never ever had a problem using the bathroom. Never heard of anyone else having a problem using the bathroom," Fennell said.
That changed this week with the ruling from the Eleventh Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals. It's now the law that students in Florida need to use the bathroom that corresponds with their sex at birth.
"The biggest issue I have with it is it lends to targeted harassment," Fennell said.
Pasco County Superintendent Kurt Browning said during a school board meeting that the changes were made to comply with the law.
Browning pointed out there is a separate bathroom available to transgender students.
Regardless, Fennell said this won't change what bathroom he uses.
"As of right now, I’m not going to start using the women’s restroom," Fennell said.
Fennell explained that would be uncomfortable for everyone.
"Being someone who presents very masculine, if I walked into a women's restroom and said 'hey what’s going on guys?' it definitely wouldn’t end well for me," Fennell said.
Fennell said he believes politics are putting students like him at risk.
"They don’t want to feel threatened by going into a certain bathroom," Fennell said.
Fennel has a message for others facing the same fight.
"Be confident in yourself," he stated.
Pasco County school leaders said Wednesday was day one of the bathroom changes, but students will change to policies developed over the next month.