Harming Our Transgender Students

A new report that was delivered to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos shows the impact of anti-transgender policies on 150,000 transgender youth. As politicians in states like Texas & North Carolina continue to fight to restrict transgender students’ access to bathrooms, the Movement Advancement Project (MAP) & GLSEN in partnership with the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE) & the National Education Association (NEA) have released a new report Separation & Stigma: Transgender Youth & School Facilities showing how profoundly harmful & unnecessary policies that exclude transgender students from school facilities that match their gender can be on these children. Ineke Mushovic, Executive Director of MAP stated, “Having inclusive school policies does nothing to diminish schools’ legal obligation to ensure safe education facilities & to act if a student behaves inappropriately or tries to invade someone’s privacy. If any student attempts to abuse an inclusive policy, schools can & will take action. & schools can also offer privacy options for any student who simply feels uncomfortable. On the surface, the argument is about bathrooms, but at a deeper level, it is about whether or not transgender students will be included in our public education system. Put simply, if transgender students cannot safely access a bathroom, they cannot safely attend school.” MAP, GLSEN, NCTE & the NEA sent the report & an open letter to U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, highlighting the hundreds of local school districts across the country, as well as 13 states & the District of Columbia, that have proven they can successfully implement laws & policies protecting transgender students from discrimination while still meeting the needs of all students.
Read Report…
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