A girl in sixth grade was allegedly raped in a New Mexico school's "gender neutral" bathroom.
The girl's mother, Maggie, reportedly discovered the incident had occurred at ASK Academy charter school in Rio Rancho, New Mexico from an October 2021 diary entry from her daughter Ray, who was 12 years old at the time.
“I was raped. I was raped. I was raped. F---ing kill me," reads the daughter's diary, which Maggie discovered in April 2022, per The Post Millennial.
According to the girl's diary, the 12-year-old was washing her hands in the school's "gender neutral" bathroom when an older male student entered the facility. The male student proceeded to pin her against the counter and wrestle the 12-year old to the ground before hitting her in the head and raping her.
After the girl's mother learned of the incident from her diary, the mother reported her daughter's rape to law enforcement, who examined the 12-year-old and began investigating the school regarding the incident.
“We learned that kids were pledging allegiance to the pride flag instead of the American flag,” Maggie said, adding she believed the school's embrace of transgender ideology allowed for her daughter's rape to occur.
“We learned that some teachers were discussing daily, the normalcy of transgender people and gender dysphoria, and that this school had a higher population than anyone would expect for such a small school of kids saying they were trans and parents not knowing,” she said.
Ray, now 13, said she felt pressured by teachers and faculty to accept "gender neutral" bathrooms out of fear of "judging" someone who identifies as transgender.
Independent Women's forum reviewed the results of a medical exam confirming Ray's hymen was ripped as a result of her rape, The Post Millennial reported.
“We have fought very hard to get our life back and survive this,” Maggie said. “It nearly took her life and mine. It leaves you feeling hopeless and isolated, like a failure as a parent to not have known or not have been able to prevent it.”
ASK Academy reportedly had a policy of "affirming" students who claimed they identified as transgender, allowing those students to use whichever bathroom they preferred, according to Ray.
“A lot of the natural instincts, those emotions, those kinds of barriers or protective like walls that I had up, that school made it feel like those were bad,” she said of the school's policies.
Rio Rancho police have been slow to investigate her daughter's rape because of alleged staff shortages.
“It just sucks,” Maggie said. “I've been told in New Mexico, that these types of cases can take years to really come to fruition. I don't know how that's possible, but that's what we keep being told.”
In July 2022, a 14-year-old student at a nearby public school was allegedly assaulted on campus at gunpoint. The 14-year-old victim identified the alleged attacker, which the victim's mother shared with Maggie who discovered the alleged attacker was a male student at ASK Academy.
The alleged attacker also appeared in an email exchange between students at ASK Academy graduating between 2022 and 2026.
"As of late we have had an issue with [REDACTED]. He has sexually harrassed, bullied, cheated off of and threatened people to get his way for his own gain," reads the email from a female student.
"If you have experienced, witnessed or even had friends who've experienced this please, PLEASE write an incident report," the email continues. "The more proof we have, the better chance we can prevent this from happening to anyone ever again. Please dont hesitate to speak up. Get your parents involved as well, anything helps."
“We have learned that sexual harassment and assault was a commonly trending issue among the high school students at ASK Academy,” Maggie said.
“I feel extremely betrayed by them,” Ray said of the way ASK Academy responded to her allegations, along with those brought forward by other students. “For the past two years, I've had to accept that there probably won't be any justice.”
“I just want people to hear us because it feels like parents aren’t paying attention, aren’t taking action, or don’t want to open their eyes to what’s happening,” Maggie said. “We had a nearly perfect life before this trauma. We grieve the loss of her innocence, safety, and how things were before she was assaulted.”
“We will never be the same," she concluded.
