Brave transgender 7th grader made a speech for inclusivity

Recently, there's been a lot of debate surrounding gendered bathrooms. One transgender 12-year-old took a stand against his school not allowing him to use the boy's room.

Seventh grader Ari Bowman made a speech at East Penn School District to fight the notion that students have to use the bathroom of the gender they were assigned at birth.

His mother posted a video of Bowman's speech on Facebook:

"I change in the boy's locker room and I have seen zero genitalia," he said, "which is kind of why I do not understand that people make the assumption that a transgender student would accidentally reveal herself in the locker room."

RELATED: See photos from the ongoing bathroom debate

Bowman said he knew he was transgender before he knew of the word. His mother figured it out when he was in third grade, and he began to go by male pronouns in fifth grade. He told his friends over the summer.

Reporter Andrew Wagaman Tweeted a video of the tail end of the speech:

"The hate that the transgender community has been receiving recently is terrible," Bowman said. "People say things without an open mind and as if we're not human beings like they are."

"No one is more important than another person," he said.

Bowman said he was received support from family, friends and beyond. His speech and message have gone viral, reaching thousands of people.