Transgender Ethical Dilemmas

Americans are still divided on transgender rights and identity. In a new study from Pew Research Center, 46% of respondents said transgender said transgender people should be required presumably by law, to “use the public restroom of the gender they were born with”, 51% of those surveyed said the opposite- that transgender people should be able to use the bathroom, of their choice. Forcing people to use the bathroom that they were born with can be humiliating, and that’s why we need to come together and have gender neutral bathrooms.

Not for an evanescent second should a single child/teen be judged,bullied,or ignored due to their sexallity or gender idenification. In every school the students should never feel unsafe, if they do it means that they won’t focus and they might not even show up. LGBT youth should be treated the same as their peers, to do so is to show acceptance and safety. This school year the Smithville High school created a new club appropriately titled “The Gay Straight Alliance”. Showing students that Smithville High School is an open minded and accepting place even though it might not always seem like it. Clubs such as this are allowing for all types of students to join forces and better their experience. It’s clubs and movements like this that should be spread across the nation as it will better the country and show those around the world that they can be wholeheartedly free. Although there are schools showing support it is still an issue in public settings such as stores. The biggest “issue” is bathrooms, should transgender people use the bathroom of their biological gender or the one they identify by? It’s honestly stupid of people to try arguing about a person's right to use a public porcelain bowl that holds water. The bathrooms in stores are public property not private, therefore, if a male to female or female to male trans human being wants to use the bathroom of their choice the they

More and more kids and teens are realizing that, they are not who they want to be. Meaning that, they want to, or have already changed their gender identity. This doesn’t seem like the problem, but these kids, teens, and even adults don't have the rights we have on a regular daily bases. According to Discovery Education, it says that, these kids and teens aren’t allowed to use the bathroom of the gender they choose to be. This is a big problem throughout the United States, especially in elementary, middle, and high schools. The government also took away the law stating that transgender people, are to use

Here in Canada, this issue has been brought forward in both communities and provincial level of concerns. To take a look closer to home, the city of Toronto had witnessed the complexity of this issue in the past years. A Toronto transgender teen who identifies as a male, was banned from using his high school boys restroom, and was forced to leave school grounds and search for a public bathroom at a gas station. Concerns were mentioned for the safety of Spencer, and also how he felt uncomfortable being forced to use the women’s restroom; however, several parents and students agreed with how the school was taking action to this problem. After a petition was enacted by fellow supportive students, Spencer was allowed to freely use the restrooms at his high school.

The changing norms of the generation has brought upon commotion between various states because of the presidents judgement. The transgender bathroom policy allows transgender students to use the bathroom they identify as and not by the sex on their birth certificate (Fox News, 2016). The transgender bathroom policy has both successes and failure to ensure safety for transgender students resulting to its change being for not only trans-gender. Gender neutral bathrooms allows safety for those who are not only transgender, but also a part of the LGBTQ community, etc. but it causes a conflict with gender segregation. Adding additional bathrooms to suite other gender preferences costs more money and not everyone is going to accept what they walk into the bathroom and see. The gender neutral bathroom policy should be taken off of hold and be put into action because everything is constantly changing and those who do not identify as the sex they were assigned at birth are at risk for harm.

People often have an inaccurate picture of reality. Most people consider themselves friendly, forgiving, and welcoming human beings. They believe they have a sound sense of morality, adhere to their foolproof policies of right and wrong, and promote righteousness. Unfortunately, through the eyes of transgender students, this is rarely the case. Although The Title IX law is supposed to defend them from discrimination, sexual harassment, and bullying (Source A), the success of this vague list of rights is nonexistent.

People tend to look passed the ones whom this debate affects. A survey was taken of over 2,000 transgender college students on the effects of the bathroom debate. This survey showed that the suicide attempt rate "increased 40% among those who said they had been denied access to a bathroom" (Scherer et al n.p.). People who are not considered normal by societal standards may have a hard time coping with the hate they receive. This hate can lead to extremes such as the attempt to commit suicide. The allowance or denial of access to a bathroom led to an increase in suicide attempt rates. Those not affected by the issue do not realize the emotional and physical hardship that transgender people go through. In Washington, D.C., a survey of 100 transgender people was taken. In this survey, "70% said they had been denied restroom access or harassed, and 58% said they has avoided going out in public because they feared being able to find a bathroom" (Scherer et al n.p.). The accommodations of both sides of the debate would allow everyone to feel safer in his or her own community. Family restrooms allow complete privacy and do not discrimination based on gender. Access to these types of facilities would never be denied. Allowing people access to the bathroom they choose opened an entire new side of the issue in

The hot topic of current events centers around the heated debate over whether Transgender kids should be able to choose what restroom they would like to use based solely on their gender identity. Breaking new ground and blazing new trails to create equality for all is the state of California. Democratic Governor, Jerry Brown, signed Assembly Bill No. 1266 (known as AB1266), which was an act to amend Section 221.5 of the Education Code, relating to pupil rights. The new law gives all students the right “to participate in sex-segregated programs, activities and facilities” based on their self-perceived orientation regardless of their birth gender. AB1266 and Section 221.5 of the Education Code provides equal rights for transgender individuals and promotes anti-discrimination. By allowing transgender boys and girls the right to use a restroom that corresponds to the student’s gender identity– regardless of the student’s sex assigned at birth– you essentially teach children acceptance from a young age. This creates a diverse culture which will help sway the profound perceptions that transgender individuals are oddities and will lend a hand in breaking the generational cycle of discrimination.

Not only do students have mixed feelings but there are also parents who oppose the idea of allowing transgender students to pick their bathroom and sport team to join. Parents worry that there could be certain criminal activity if transgenders were allowed to choose which bathroom to use, but the law reflects the modern times and calls for change. Worries about having transgenders pick their own bathroom or locker room is preventing them from having the sense of security and importance that they should feel within their schools. A testimony from a 16 year old transgender boy from Manteca, California shows that all he wants is to not be deterred from the same options that normal high school boys at his school get, “I just want to be treated the same as all the other boys… my school forces me to take a gym class with all girls… leaves me feeling isolated and alone… (Yan).” Although there are worries of allowing transgenders to pick their bathrooms; transgender are citizens of America and deserve the same opportunities, such as choosing which sport team to participate in or which bathroom and locker room to use, as other citizens. They are being alienated and all they want is to be able to have the same choices, such as restroom rights, available to them. Jocelyn Samuels, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division states, “All students, including

Everyday people experience discrimination over things like race, sex, and beliefs. Discrimination has become a part of the American culture. The most recent issue is Transgenders and their battle in court over the bathroom bill. The bathroom bill is a bill that may or may not is passed by the supreme court, This bill would grant Transgenders the right to use the bathroom of their choice because it can cause a threat to men, women, and children who do use the bathroom that is listed on their birth certificate, however the fact still remains that transgender should have just as much freedom to use the bathroom of choice as other regular human beings.

School is thought of as a safe, friendly environment for all to learn and share their ideas, creativity, and opinions. It should be, especially since Americans send their children to school, five days a week, seven hours a day. Unfortunately, not all children feel that their safety is ensured at their schools. Transgender youth feel as if they cannot be their true selves in an environment that’s supposed to be radiating of positivity and support. This is a result of bullying, denial of their gender identity, and being prohibited from using the restroom that matches their identity. Gender identity refers to a person’s inner sense of being male or female, regardless of the gender they were assigned at birth. Gender expression refers to the way a person expresses their gender in ways socially defined as masculine or feminine. Examples of these expressions are: clothing, behavior, hairstyle, voice, or mannerisms. Approximately seventy-five percent of the transgender student population feel unsafe in school. Some end up not even attending school, which results in their GPA plummeting. Because of the feeling in unacceptance and insecurity, their desire to further their education decreases. (Schools). In fact, LGBT students altogether are twice as likely to choose to not further their education than cisgender students (National Center). No one should find their education unimportant

“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.

One of the newest issues that schools are facing today is accommodating transgender students. In May 2016 the US Department of Education and Department of Justice’s has recently sent down recommendations that schools make the following modifications to school policy: Transgender students may use the bathroom and locker room associated with their gender identity. According to KOLR 10 news Nixa schools are not going to accommodate students for this recommendation.

In past generations, it has been clear to society that males and females use segregated bathrooms. It is also known that the rate of transgender people has been growing over the past years. Transgender people constantly face troubles when using a bathroom in public. Nevertheless, as society has become more aware of the transgender population and the issues that they face, many schools have had to decide how they will respond about the issue of school bathrooms when students identify themselves as transgender. A school should be able to provide separate facilities based on sex, but must allow transgender students access to the facility which matches their gender identity.

In a lot of places around the world more and more people are coming out as “Transgender.” The term transgender means that the person’s gender identity does not correspond with the gender they were assigned as having at birth. From personally having a transgender boyfriend I have since realized that these people experience a lot of discrimination in and from society. Many people simply just do not understand what the term transgender means and they see it as someone just “wants to be a man” or “wants to be a woman.” While there may be people who present it this way, it is more so that the individual just “feels” different, and “feels” as if they are “in the wrong body.” Some people experience this feeling at a young age as my boyfriend did in his elementary age. We live in a world who put these people down for being who they truly are, and no human being wants or needs that.