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Transgender Student Says School Kicked Her Out For Being A Him

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Jeff Nguyen, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, is standing in front of the campus of California Baptist University with student, make that former student, Domaine Javier.

Says Nguyen, "What goes through your mind as you stand out in front of this campus?"

The 24-year-old replies wistfully. "It's full of sadness and depression."

Javier, of Riverside, says she's a woman trapped in a man's body.

And her gender identity caused her to get expelled from California Baptist University.

"It's my future that's at stake here. It's my education. And I definitely think everyone has the right to be educated."

Nguyen reports that Javier, born a boy – started dressing as a girl around the age of 13.

And it wasn't long before folks started accepting him as a her. For one, he was named 2010 homecoming queen.

She was featured on an episode of MTV's "True Life." And she was supposed to start classes this past September.

But in July, Domaine received a letter from the school saying she could face expulsion for committing or attempting to engage in fraud or concealing identity.

In August, the school determined she had lied on her application for admission.

Domaine believe she did nothing wrong. "They asked for my gender and I see myself as female. I put female in there. If they asked for sex, I probably would have put male. So I didn't commit any fraud or anything. It's just the way I understood the application form."

Reports Nguyen, California law prohibits employers, housing and government agencies from discriminating against gender identity. But private universities aren't covered by that law.

Cal Baptist's written policies don't explicitly shut out transgender students.

But it is does have conservative requirements.

For example, applicants sign a form that they agree to not engage in homosexual behavior or live with someone of the opposite sex.

Domaine never set out to be a transformer but she is hoping by telling her story, more people will understand about the lives of transgender people. "Universities are there to change the students. But sometimes a student is there to change a university."

Nguyen closed by reporting, "Today we reached out to the university for a comment. But so far no one has returned our call."

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