“I’ve already got one boy I’m supposed to call Heather instead of Mark and treat like a girl. Now there’s some other kid who says that she’s a boy, and wants to be called Michael! How am I supposed to teach when I’m having to keep track of all this shit?” This quote, from a veteran science teacher who became frustrated when I referred to a transgender male student by his appropriate name and pronouns during a department meeting, is reflective of the negative teacher interactions experienced daily by the estimated 150,000 transgender students currently enrolled in America’s schools (GLSEN, 2017). As United States (US) has become a more welcoming place for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) students, an increasing number of transgender youth have had the courage to come out at school. Unfortunately, these students are not yet being met with kindness nor understanding from their peers or teachers. In a 2015 survey of nearly 3,500 transgender students across the US, 75% of students reported feeling unsafe at school due to their gender expression (GLSEN, 2016a). This paper will explore how the current US political climate is shaping the experiences of transgender youth in US schools, and the steps that educators can take to make their schools more supportive for transgender students.
When a person is born, they are assigned a sex by the medical team who delivers them. This sex is often based on the appearance of their genitals, and is then recorded on official documents
Many people have spoken about having a tough time accepting a person since the way they sexually identify themselves is different. Being identified as transgender has become a highly controversial topic around the world and part of the population does not quite understand why the people that identify themselves as transgender choose to do so. Some people do not believe in what it means to be transgender and let their opinions on the topic change the real meaning of the term.
The government has been trying to figure out what to do when it comes to bathroom laws and more importantly, insurance coverage. Transitioning from one gender to the other is very
“One believes things because one has been conditioned to believe them” this quote written by Aldous Huxley accurately describes the impact parents have on their children. When parents aid their transgender children in transitioning into the opposite sex they are committing child abuse; changing sex is unsafe, indecent, and permanent. Over the course of a month, I have been a slave to the library. I have read over 30 articles on transgenderism; The basis of my opinion comes from well-sifted through research. The definition of child abuse is the mistreatment of a child by physical, sexual, or emotional ill-treatment or neglect, especially by those responsible for his or her welfare. Parents of transgender kids are neglecting what they need
[The Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) organization at my high school, which meets twice per month, generated a list of concerns that they shared with school administration. The focus was specifically about gender identity, the lack of support from school staff, and the daily scrutiny they face as a result of their sexual orientation and gender identity. Through collaboration with my colleagues it was evident that there had been an increase in teacher and student referrals surrounding gender identity. The feedback from GSA clearly identified that as a school we are not meeting the needs of our LGBT students and those struggling with sexual orientation. Members of the GSA clearly feel that teachers ignore negative comments like “gay” and “faggot” when they hear them in class, that teachers may not clearly understand gender neutral language, and that our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) students do not feel safe and protected in school. Students needed support advocating for their right to use a restroom, correct pronoun, etc., requiring district, community, parent, and colleague
It’s not hard to say that America has come so far into society and our freedom. How can our country forget when slavery ended in 1865 and gave women more rights in 1920. However, over time America has ignored the basic rights of transgender people. Transgender people are not any different from African Americans, or women. Why should they be treated any different, they're humans just like everybody else. They deserve the same basic treatment as a human rather than being treated like they're not from this planet. There are transgender people today who are getting harassed and tormented for just going into the bathroom for what they identify as. They should be able to go into a bathroom for which gender they identify as. Rather than making special bathrooms for transgender people that make them stand out and feel like they’re labeling themselves for using.
It's easy for people to hate what they don't understand. Imagine if you were learning how to play the guitar, and no matter how many times you practice and study the right chords, you just can't seem to grasp the concept, and there is nothing wrong with that. Plenty of people happen to have this mindset when it comes to transgender people. There is this constant debate concerning transgender men and women and their rights. In some cases, they are expected to abide by certain requirements in order to full change their gender and aren't granted the right to use the bathroom based on their gender identity.
What defines a person? Looks? Beliefs? Gender or sexual orientation? About 0.58% of all adults in the United States identify as transgender, which is around 1,397,150 people. Society commonly feels as though transgender people are unnatural or disgusting, therefore they perform hate crimes because of this fact. Why is that? How could these people target others simply because of their identity, despite said identity having really no impact on their lives? In more simple terms, the identity itself makes the transgender person uncomfortable because does it not match what the subcortical (meaning the area of the brain below the frontal cortex) areas of the brain tell about them, so they feel the need to become the gender their brain tells them to be. Why is that so wrong? Transgender people are just as human as anyone else. They are a little different than the rest of society, but they should be treated with the respect they deserve.
This article details the some of the issues created by the growing population of transgendered students in the public education system, specifically the story of Aubrey a girl who transitioned in middle school. The article begins by detailing some of the problems transgendered youths face in the school system among these being bullied, in the forms of verbal and physical harassment. Then details how schools are reacting to prevent this kind of harm and build an inclusive environment. The laws vary by state, but 14 states plus D.C. Have laws that prohibit discrimination, and Title 9 bans gender discrimination nation-wide. The article also details how the Central Dauphin School District in Pennsylvania is working to protect at risk students; the district has implemented training for the staff of the 12000 student district, including training on gender
The transgender community has been particularly outspoken about the injustices they have faced as transgender individuals as of late. Due to this, the public’s attention is drawn to what can be done to help these individuals gain the same rights that cisgender people have. A particularly potent topic is that of transgender students in high schools. On account of the attention, schools and teachers are faced with whether they will help or hinder the lives of their transgender students. Unfortunately, it has been made clear that high school teachers and high schools in general are not doing enough to accommodate their transgender students.
Fast forward to present day and we see transgender students are claiming gender stereotyping based on their gender expression is causing discrimination against them because they are non-conforming to gender identities. Within the United States alone, the transgender community makes up a whopping 2% of our LGTB population, which makes them a minority of the LGTB community. According to Jacob (2013), over 87% of transgender students claim to be verbally harassed and 53% say they have been physically harassed. A 2007 study showed a bully will target transgender students 66% more than they target a student who has conforming gender identity (Transgender Issues). Johnson (2010) writes the Education Department warned schools about being legally liable, after an influx of teens committing suicide for having non-conforming gender identities. The schools were informed that Title IX covers equal treatment for boys and girls in school programs that are federally funded and insisted schools begin to implement anti-non gender conforming bullying at a local level (Johnson 2010). With those statistics, it is supported that majority of transgender students are at risk to some type of discrimination on a daily basis in our schools.
One out-group of mine is the community of people who are transgender. I do not identify with this community. In the United States, this group has expanded over recent years. Transgender people go through a lot of discrimination in the United States. There are many negative stereotypes and prejudices that are associated with this group. There are many people who are supportive of this community, but there are also many people who are not supportive.
The issue of transgender students and their right to public restrooms has recently been brought into the political spotlight. Transgender being defined by the authors of the article Experiences of Transgender-Related Discrimination and Implications for Health: Results from the Virginia Transgender Health Initiative Study as, “…an umbrella term used to de- scribe people whose gender identity or expression does not conform to that typically associated with the sex they were born as or assigned to at birth” (Bradford, Reisner, Honnold, Xavier 1820). It is statistically clear that transgender students are at greater risk of harassment and physical harm than their cisgender peers. Not allowing these students to use the restroom of their gender
The world is constantly changing and will continue to change throughout the future. The way kids grow up is completely different than how it was 50 years ago. Some kids are now coming out as transgender and this is outraging the populous. Now the question is, is this the right way to raise a kid? Is this putting the child in harm's way? These are the questions that are up for debate.
Have you ever thought you weren’t who you're supposed to be? Have you ever thought you weren't the right gender? Well trust me there are a lot of people like you. There has been so much controversy about transgenders though. Many are criticized and some even harm themselves. They are discriminated against and are bullied by some. They are told they can't do certain things because they are transgender. They are told they cant use a certain bathroom and cant join the army. These are the struggles of transgenders.
Additionally, MBU exemplifies cultural precompetence with developing a Gender and Sexual Studies major headed by Professor Kathy McCleaf and offering the SGS 275: Transgender course. Furthermore, within Student Life, both Laura Cammaroto and Amber Ocasio understood the issue impacting transgender students by becoming sponsors for the Students Out Understanding and Loving other Students (SOULS), a 20-year-old club that tackles the mission to instigate MBU’s efforts to support and retain LGBTQA+ students. They instituted the Safe Zone Training to teach MBU’s community about the LGBTQ+ identities, gender, and sexuality, and unlearn prejudice. Both SOULS and its sponsors’ strides support cultural precompetence as they are trying the bare minimum to change the campus’ attitude towards transgender students without instituting any major policy change.