Transgendered and in first grade.

When Paul and Sherry Lipscomb enrolled their child for first grade in August, they registered the 6-year-old under the name Aurora. The problem was that Aurora, who is biologically a boy but self-identifies as a girl, had attended the same Westville, Ohio, school under her birth name, Zachary, the year before.

Two weeks later, Franklin County Children's Services, acting on an anonymous tip, seized the child, placing her with a foster family that refuses to allow her to wear a dress or jewelry.

Now the Lipscombs, who say Aurora has been diagnosed with gender identity dysphoria, are suing the school district and the county for not allowing them to raise their child as they see fit. The couple's attorney, Randi Barnabee, who is transgendered herself, said she expects a "protracted and bitter" custody fight.

The Lipscombs say they first noticed their child was different at age 2. "As Zach progressed in age to kindergarten, there was always a preoccupation to be a girl," the couple said in a written statement. "Zach would emphatically state that she was a girl and announced that her name was Aurora."

The child took to wearing girls' clothing and playing with traditionally female toys. At the same time, Aurora started acting out violently. After one such incident the parents admitted her to Cincinnati Children's Medical Center, where doctors diagnosed her with GID. At that point the Lipscombs embraced their child as a girl.

In a court filing, lawyers for Children's Services claim that the Lipscombs "did not appear to be able to recognize that some of the child's behavior may be attributed to the home environment." In public, however, state officials will say only that they want what's best for the child.

Transgender rights activists, however, see something more nefarious in their actions. "This kid is not an exception," says Riki Wilchins, executive director of GenderPAC, a national transgender rights advocacy group. "The only difference is that in this case the parents stood behind their kid."