I have a trans sister in law who I love.
Last month, someone at work started to live the rest of her life as a woman. We received an email from HR announcing this and telling us that people who are able to live authentically are happier and better employees. Also, the person in question was going to use the ladies room. Got a problem with it? Call HR.
Rolling back the bathroom option for trans students is nothing but throwing a mean bullying bone to a minority of heartless people who do not represent the majority of the rest of us who did not vote for Trump.
The town hall meetings are going to get very unpleasant. But in the meantime, watch for the Gay-Straight Alliance to step up in a high school near you:
Trans and queer youth continue to show up for each other even when our schools and government do not.
Today, the Department of Education and Department of Justice rescinded the guidance they released less than a year ago that instructed schools across the country on how to create welcoming, safe, and supportive school environments for transgender and gender nonconforming students. Transgender students will still be protected from sex discrimination under current interpretations of Title IX, however, the guidance provided clear guidelines for schools to provide students with access to school facilities, such as restrooms and locker rooms, based on their gender identity. The guidelines also symbolized an important victory for trans student rights.
It comes as no surprise that the guidance was reversed and we expect that many of GSA Network’s organizational partners will discuss what this means and the harms it will cause trans youth in schools. We agree and vehemently condemn this action by the current administration.
In this moment, we want to focus on you: trans and queer youth who are leading at GSA Network. We want to uplift the myriad of ways you show up for each other and we want to be very clear about what this action does not mean. We want to let you know that we value you, we stand with you and we love you.
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