Fighting for the Dignity and Rights of Girls: Gigi’s Story
A South Carolina mom’s advocacy for her special needs daughter exposes a systemic failure in care.
Although I’ve lived in Georgia for nearly a decade and the Midlands of South Carolina is where I grew up…my heart remains tied to Upstate South Carolina, my first chosen home. I still follow the news there and it was on the Malarkey News Facebook page that I came across the story of Gigi, a mother whose advocacy on behalf of her 5-year-old autistic, nonverbal daughter exposes a systemic failure to protect vulnerable children.
Gigi requested a straightforward boundary: that only female staff assist her daughter with diaper changes. This request, grounded in her religious beliefs and her daughter’s safety, should have been an easy accommodation. But instead of honoring this simple and protective measure, the Meyer Center for Special Children, a public charter school in South Carolina, initiated her daughter’s withdrawal without consent.
Rather than collaborate with a concerned mother, they tried to remove her daughter—a child unable to advocate for herself. The school has since blocked and untagged themselves from Gigi’s social media posts, avoiding accountability. Although Gigi engaged with the Head of South Carolina Public Charter Schools and was promised that the issue would be “fixed,” the damage is done. As Gigi put it, “I can’t imagine sending my daughter back as I could only imagine the retaliation that would be taken against her behind closed doors.”
The Meyer Center’s actions are not just a betrayal of trust—they are a blatant dismissal of Gigi’s parental rights and her daughter’s humanity. A child’s vulnerability demands protection, yet this institution chose to retaliate rather than accommodate. As Gigi said, “It’s incomprehensible that a school centered toward children with special needs has repeatedly dismissed, gaslit, and wreaked havoc on her education and therapeutic progress because of our family’s personal and religious values.”
This case highlights a broader societal issue: the erosion of sex-based rights, particularly for female children. Gigi’s daughter’s need for female-only care isn’t just a matter of comfort—it’s about safeguarding her dignity, privacy, and safety as a young girl. That this basic protection was ignored speaks to how institutions often prioritize convenience over the well-being of those they serve.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Across the country, institutions often dismiss mothers like Gigi, assuming they will be too tired, too overwhelmed, or too desperate to fight back. But Gigi refused to give in. Her resolve halted the withdrawal process and forced the school to address its actions, though she now faces the difficult task of finding better services for her daughter—services that respect her equally and protect her rights.
This isn’t just about Gigi’s fight. It’s about ensuring all girls—especially those who cannot speak for themselves—are treated with dignity and respect. It’s about demanding accountability from institutions that fail to honor their responsibilities.
Help Amplify Gigi’s Story:
Share Gigi’s experience on social media to ensure the Meyer Center is held accountable. Here are links to her posts on Facebook and Twitter/X. Gigi is also actively looking for legal assistance. Her courage is a reminder that advocacy is not optional—it’s essential. Institutional neglect often relies on silence, but when mothers like Gigi speak up, they reaffirm for us all that protecting children is a fight worth waging.
Let’s stand with Gigi and her daughter. Girls deserve dignity, safety, and a world that respects their sex-based rights! 👧🏽