The parents of a transgender student are taking legal action against a Los Angeles school, asserting that the school’s staff kept their son’s new gender identity a secret from them. They believe this lack of communication contributed to his tragic suicide.
In March 2024, Dylan Parke ended his life, nearly four years after he reportedly confided in staff at Palisades Charter High School about his gender transition. His parents, Kathleen Mulligan and Andrew Parke, assert that they were kept in the dark about this significant aspect of their son’s life. They are now suing the school, claiming that this omission damaged the parent-child relationship.
The lawsuit, as reviewed by the Daily Mail, states that during the 2019-2020 academic year, Parke expressed his desire to be known as Aria. The school allowed him to socially transition, and he was even listed as Aria in the yearbook, according to photographs included in the legal filings.
Parke, who was 19 years old at the time of his death, was also facing challenges with depression and autism. His parents argue that the school’s actions—or lack thereof—played a role in his untimely demise.
He was allowed to socially transition at school and even appeared in the yearbook as Aria, a photo in the filings reveals.
Parke, who suffered from depression and was autistic, took his life aged 19.
Mulligan believes her son was struggling to fit in and might have fallen under peer pressure, she told staff in an email, according to the filings.
She said her son was ‘particularly vulnerable to social contagion related to gender identity, as his “trans identity” appeared to provide him with a sense of belonging and validation from peers who were being celebrated for similar disclosures,’ the lawsuit said.
Dylan Parke’s parents are suing his high school after it allegedly kept his transgender identity from them which they claim contributed to his suicide
‘If I thought Dylan was really trans, I would have a different mindset, but I know my son better than anyone, and I know he is struggling, and I want what is best for him. He has so much potential, and I worry about his mental health,’ she wrote in an email to a school employee in August 2020.
The parents also alleged the school facilitated access to third-party resources for Parke to use, such as housing for LGBT+ youth.
The school’s policy in 2019 allowed staff to determine whether or not to tell a parent about a student’s gender identity, the filing states.
‘When school personnel find it important to discuss a student’s gender identity or expression with parents, school personnel should consult and work closely with the student to assess the degree to which, if any, the parent is aware of the student’s gender identity or expression and its support of the student,’ the policy, cited in the lawsuit, said.
Parke admitted to his school counselor, Elva Pouya, that he was in the middle of coming out publicly in May 2020 and requested she not involve his parents according to the complaint.
‘She immediately praised his “courage and honesty,” expressed that she was both “very proud” of and happy for him,’ the lawsuit said.
Pouya then got Parke in contact with Joe Ringlehan, who ran a student transgender club at the school, but was not a staff member per the complaint.
Ringlehan allegedly informed Parke he didn’t need his parents’ permission to change his name at school, the lawsuit states.
Parke, who graduated in 2022, died by suicide after suffering from depression for years in 2024 at the age of 19
‘It eroded Plaintiffs’ fundamental parental rights to direct and oversee Dylan’s upbringing and soured the familial relationship, straining familial bonds and fostering emotional distress,’ the lawsuit said.
In August 2020, Mulligan reached out to Pouya to say she was concerned about her son’s well-being and was aware of his desire to transition socially, the lawsuit states.
She claimed her son was struggling to regain a sense of identity after not making the baseball team at the time.
Her email to Pouya went unanswered, the lawsuit said.
Months after her email was sent, a different counselor sent Parke a link to LGBT+ youth housing.
The Parke family said they maintained a ‘close’ and ‘affectionate’ relationship with their son prior to the school’s allegedly secret involvement.
‘As school personnel increasingly engaged Dylan in transition-related discussions and interventions without Plaintiffs’ knowledge, Dylan became withdrawn, oppositional, and distrustful of his parents,’ the lawsuit said.
‘He resisted their guidance, questioned their motives, and distanced himself emotionally and socially from the family.’
His emotional withdrawal caused tension in the family and left his parents feeling like they were ‘walking on eggshells,’ the lawsuit said.
Parke told staff at Palisades Charter High School that he wanted to go by Aria in the academic year 2019/20 according to the lawsuit
The parents claim the school’s policy was unconstitutional and lacked ‘guardrails, foreseeably leading to escalating, harmful actions,’ the lawsuit said.
‘The Secrecy Policy isolated Dylan rather than helping him,’ it said.
In 2024, California passed a law permitting schools to not reveal a child’s gender identity without the student’s permission.
It was later struck down by a federal judge in December.
The school district told Daily Mail in a statement: ‘Los Angeles Unified does not comment on pending litigation.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Parke family, Pouya and Ringlehan for comment.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 988.
