The discrimination against Sunnie Kahle began when she was only 3 years old. The little girl cut her hair to donate it to cancer students, and teachers at Timberlake Christian Schools began asking her grandmother, Doris Thompson, if her granddaughter was a lesbian.
Sunnie is now 8 years old and a second grader at Timberlake Christian School. Her grandparents were in complete shock when they received a letter stating the school would not allow Sunnie to return in the fall "unless Sunnie as well as her family clearly understand that God has made her female and her dress and behavior need to follow suit with her God-ordained identity."
Sunnie's grandparents withdrew her from the school system after the letter was received.
When I got the letter, I was just sick. She’s a little tomboy, so I let her be what she wanted to be," Thompson said.
According to Yahoo! News, the principal mentioned that Sunnie's classmates often questioned whether she was a boy or a girl.
The Thompson's placed Sunnie in Timberlake so she could receive a religious education, but have now enrolled Sunnie in a public school and do not plan on allowing her to return to Timberlake Christian School.
“She cries every morning to get on the bus. She cries when she comes home because she wants to go back to Timberlake Christian with her friends.”
"How do you tell a child when she wants to wear pants and shirt, and go out and play in the mud and so forth, how do you tell her, ‘No you can't. You've got to wear a pink bow in your hair and you've got to let your hair grow out long.’ How do you do that? I can't do that.”
ABC News writes that the school administrators claimed Sunnie was having gender issues. However, Sunnie's grandparents stated that she has always referred to herself as a girl, she just likes to do things that some girls don't do.
Sunnie's doctor has assured her grandparents that it isn't necessary to think about her sexual orientation until she has reached puberty. When her grandparents told the teachers at Timberlake this, they told her, "You need to find a Christian doctor".
Sunnie's grandparents are furious and believe the school's actions are unnecessary, but the Thompson's have not filed a suit against the school.