Becoming Nicole

Ever since Nicole publicly transitioned, Wayne explained to Jonas that he needed to protect his sister—a thought that was confusing to Jonas, as Nicole was always more aggressive than he was. Sometimes this means answering questions from others about Nicole’s gender identity, but usually it just makes Jonas paranoid that someone might threaten Nicole.

One day, Jacob joins a game of four square in which Jonas is playing. The two quickly get into a fight, and Jacob calls Nicole a “fag.” Jonas jumps on Jacob’s back, and Jacob swiftly flings Jonas to the ground. Both boys are punished, losing recess for the next two weeks. When Kelly and Wayne hear of the incident, they tell Jonas that they understand his frustration but that he can’t get into physical fights.

On Tuesday, December 18, 2007, Paul Melanson appears in front of the school board at a meeting. He expresses his distress that “this little boy is being treated as a little girl.” A board member stops him, saying that the student is using the appropriate bathroom, and that they would not discuss the matter further.

The incident makes the local news and papers. None of the outlets mention the Maineses by name, but the story is being discussed everywhere, including online forums and blogs. Some comment that Wayne and Kelly should be “arrested for child abuse” for helping Nicole “persist in the mental illness.”

A letter to the school from Melanson’s lawyer argues that they are discriminating against Jacob because of his “sexual orientation” because they are letting another boy use the girls’ bathroom and not him. Melanson himself believes that his rights “are being infringed upon every time his country invent[s] new ones for special interest groups.”