Today, the Transgender Law Center announced that Contra Costa County Superior Court Judge Thomas M. Maddock accepted a deal that would drop criminal charges against Jewyles Guiterrez, the transgender teen who was charged with battery after an altercation at her school.
Jewyles, 16, will enter a restorative justice program and upon completion of the program, the battery charges would be erased from her record.
Many in the LGBT community expressed outrage after the charges were announced last month. Jewyles, they said, was simply defending herself after enduring months of nonstop bullying, which included being spat upon, according to her sister, Valerie Poquiz. The school had allegedly ignored Jewlyes' many requests for help. Then in November, a fight broke out between Gutierrez and a group of girls who had been bullying her.
Poquiz posted a petition at Change.org, asking that the charges against Jewyles be dropped. More than 200,000 people from around the world signed on in support of Jewlyes, many who claimed that going after Jewlyes with battery charges would only further victimize her and send a message to teens that bullying transgender people will go unpunished.
Among those who spoke up for Jewlyes are California Assemblywoman Susan A. Bonilla, who represents the 14th District, where Jewlyes lives. Bonilla and openly gay San Francisco Supervisor David Campos both urged the Contra Costa DA to drop the charges.
The Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network also supported the petition.
"I am relieved to know that Jewlyes will now have the chance to find peace and safety outside of the criminal justice system," said Masen Davis, Executive Director of the Transgender Law Center. "Youth belong in schools, not jails. All students, including transgender students, should be able to go to school feeling safe and supported."
