Some schools embrace transgender policies

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Some schools have transgender policies.
Some schools have transgender policies.
Even as the Trump administration rolled back a bathroom policy sought by transgender students, some school districts are working to become more inclusive. 

     On Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Education pulled back a policy that gave students access to bathrooms based on gender identity as opposed to biological gender. 
     The memo says that the withdrawal of the guidelines “does not leave students without protections from discrimination, bullying or harassment. All schools must ensure that all students, including LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) students, are able to learn and thrive in a safe environment.”
     But transgender advocates worry that rescinding the policy will leave students open to harassment. In a statement posted online, Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, said: “This is a mean-spirited attack on hundreds of thousands of students who simply want to be their true selves and be treated with dignity while attending school. It seems almost every day the president chooses a new group to scapegoat and attack. Transgender students thrive when treated equally, but too often they are not. These young people already face incredible hurdles in their pursuit of education and acceptance. With a pen stroke, the Trump administration effectively sanctions the bullying, ostracizing and isolation of these children, putting their very lives in danger.”
      Transgender policies have been controversial. Even so, there are school districts working to make transgender students feel comfortable and included. Here are examples of how issues are resolved.

A student’s name: A term that pops up on transgender policies is “consistently asserted.”  In Chicago Public Schools, for example, “students have the right to be addressed by a name and pronoun corresponding to the gender identity they consistently assert at school.”

Bathrooms and locker rooms: In Washington, D.C., transgender and gender-nonconforming students “are entitled to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity. Any student, transgender or otherwise, who has a need or desire for increased privacy, regardless of underlying reasons, also has the right to access a single-user restroom, such as a staff bathroom or the bathroom in the nurse’s office. However, the single-user bathroom may not be given as the only option for transgender or gender-nonconforming students.”

On sports teams: “Transgender students are to be provided the same opportunities to participate in physical education as are all other students,” according to New York City Department of Education. “Generally, students should be permitted to participate in physical education and sports in accordance with the student’s gender identity that is consistently asserted at school.  Participation in competitive athletic activities and contact sports will be resolved on a case-by-case basis.”

     Related:

     Defense Department lifts transgender ban 

     Survey: Acceptance of gay children growing

     An apology for the Lavender Scare    

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