Colo. School Board Member: Trans Students Should be Castrated

A school board member from Colorado made headlines Monday after she said that transgender students should be castrated if they want to use the bathrooms that fit their gender identity, Colorado's CBS-affiliated station KREX-TV reports.

Delta County School Board member Katherine Svenson's controversial comments made during an October meeting, were recorded by KREX.

"I would like to pass out something that shows people what is going on in the rest of the country," Svenson said. "Massachusetts and California have passed laws relating to calling a student, irrespective of his biological gender, letting him perform as the gender he thinks he is, or she is. I just want to emphasize: not in this district. Not until the plumbing's changed. There would have to be castration in order to pass something like that around here."

Svenson cites a bill that California Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed, which allows transgender youth to use the bathroom and play on sports teams that correspond to their gender identity.

When questioned if her comments were insensitive, Svenson said she still supports her statements.

"I don't have a problem if some boys think they are girls, I'm just saying as long as they can impregnate a woman, they're not going to go in girls locker-room," Svenson told KREX. She added she brought the issue up so other board members to be aware of the issues and that it could impact their Colorado school district soon.

Other district officials say they respect Svenson's views on the issue but do not agree with her. KREX spoke with superintendent Kurt Clay about Svenson's remarks and asked him if castration is something the district would consider.

"Absolutely not, I meant that's an opinion of hers," Clay told the news station. "We truly believe in Delta County School District, that every student has different needs, and that we are here to address those individual needs."

Watch a clip of KREX's reporting below: