by overwhelmed
As more transgender-identifying children enter our educational institutions, school officials have scrambled to provide accommodations for them, sometimes at the expense of other students’ rights, and sometimes against their parents’ wishes. The complications introduced are legion—ranging from opposite sex pronoun usage to highly controversial bathroom and locker room access.
One such school that has been affected is Township High School District 211, located in a suburb of Chicago, Illinois. School officials had granted a natal male trans-identifying student’s request to be treated as a female in all areas (including bathroom usage and sports teams) but drew the line at access to the girls’ locker rooms. An attempt was made to balance the rights of the trans-identifying student (referred to as Student A) with those of the girls, by providing a separate changing facility, but it was deemed unacceptable.
The District offered to install—and in fact did install—a bank of lockers there, and to let Student A choose several female friends who would be comfortable changing alongside her. However, Student A told OCR that she felt this arrangement would “ostracize” her.
…The former Superintendent stated to OCR that she based her decision not only on Student A’s rights and needs, but on the privacy concerns of all students. The Superintendent told OCR that Student A explained that she wanted equal access to the girls’ locker rooms because “she wanted to be a girl like every other girl.”
But this male-bodied student was eventually given access to the girls’ locker rooms. Student A’s parents had filed a lawsuit and as a result, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights had become involved. The accommodation was made only after the school was threatened with the loss of millions in federal funding.
After the student filed a complaint, the Dept. of Education’s Office for Civil Rights ruled Dist. 211 had discriminated against the student “on the basis of sex.”
Some attendees at the Sunday meeting noted the transgender student had been using female locker rooms already for two years without the school notifying students or parents.
…The school board changed its policies to allow Student A into the girls locker rooms, so long as the student changed behind newly installed “privacy curtains.”
Student A’s parents were able to achieve these new rights for their child, but it came with a cost. The natal girls in the locker room, many who feel uncomfortable changing within sight of a born male, had their right to privacy taken away. Six of these high school girls bravely spoke up during a school board meeting:
Those curtains, the six girls said, shield Student A from personal insecurities, but they leave the rest of them uncomfortably exposed.
“It is unfair to infringe upon the rights of others to accommodate one person,” the six girls, in a joint statement, told an audience of at least 500.
“Although we will never fully understand your personal struggle,” they said, addressing the transgender student, “please understand that we, too, all are experiencing personal struggles that need to be respected.”
Some parents, organized as “D211 Parents for Privacy,” are putting pressure on the school board and their legislators to try to regain the privacy lost to their children. On their Facebook page, their sensible plea is for a compromise for Student A that doesn’t infringe on the rights of others:
“We should be able to agree that accommodations can be made for those who need them due to rare situations they find themselves in so they can get through school without undue stress. That same principle should apply to EVERYONE.
Accommodations should NOT infringe on others if it can be helped and especially if the accommodation takes place in a private, intimate space where minor children are getting undressed!
It is called balancing your feelings with others. There is NO BALANCING of needs here. It is all ONE SIDED.”
Unfortunately, the situation in which these parents and their children have found themselves is becoming less rare. There has been a steady increase in the number of kids claiming to be transgender since the early 2000s.
The graph is from 4thwavenow’s post “Why are more girls than boys presenting to gender clinics?,” showing the relatively recent rise in the number of gender dysphoric adolescents–especially girls, but also boys. It’s an international trend. The BBC reported last week that there has been nearly a 1000% rise in the number of young people referred to gender clinics during the last six years, with a peak around age 16. I’ve also seen several anecdotal reports of multiple “trans kids” in one friend group, and the phenomenon was noted by a psychotherapist in this post. It’s clearly becoming more and more common for students to identify as transgender.
In response to the increasing numbers of trans-claiming students, the government has been pressuring schools to implement policies to safeguard these students’ rights. On December 1, 2014, the Department of Education released a memo declaring that gender identities are now protected under Title IX.
In one short paragraph of a 34-page memo released on Dec. 1, the Department of Education articulated a clear stance on gender identity, saying transgender students in public schools should be enrolled in single-sex classes that align with how they live their lives day-to-day.
“We’re thrilled,” says Shannon Minter, the legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights. “It’s so critical to the health and well-being of those students, and it’s going to be so helpful to have that guidance in writing so that schools understand what their obligations are.”
The memo is explicit that federal law protects students’ decisions made in accordance with their gender identity. “Under Title IX,” it reads, a school “must treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity in all aspects of the planning, implementation, enrollment, operation, and evaluation of single-sex classes.”
Yes, you read that correctly, the legal director for the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) was “thrilled.” If you’re like me, you wondered why an organization with Lesbian in the title would support the increased rights of so-called transgender youth. After a quick search, I found a Wikipedia article that revealed Shannon Minter, a “trans man,” is a civil rights attorney with an impressive track record of LGBT legal victories. Minter was even appointed by President Obama to a White House commission. Having Minter as the legal director for NCLR coincides with the organization’s aims to cover the entire LGBT, not just the L. “Achieving LGBT Equality Through Litigation, Legislation, Policy and Public Education” are the goals of this non-profit, public interest law firm.
In accord with the NCLR’s mission to promote transgender equality in schools, it joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Gender Spectrum, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and the National Education Association (NEA) to create a set of guidelines for schools. In August of 2015, NCLR issued a press release announcing the publication of “Schools In Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools.”
Schools are increasingly being called upon to include and support transgender students. Recognizing that this can seem daunting or overwhelming, Schools in Transition offers practical guidance and field-tested tips to parents, educators, administrators, and community members on planning and supporting a transgender student through a transition at school. The guide is geared toward the needs of all students, kindergarten through twelfth grade, and incorporates recommendations that will allow schools to tailor those plans to the particular circumstances of the student and school. The authors include statements, recommendations, and resources which are based on data, research and best practices that have been tested in this field, as well as narratives of real experiences from students and educators.
So, “Schools In Transition” is a guide to help “schools understand what their obligations are” to transgender students. In fact, schools need so much guidance that this publication is a whopping 68 pages long. Bear with me, there is a lot of information to get through.
Who are the lead authors? Asaf Orr, Esq. (Transgender Youth Project Staff Attorney for NCLR) and Joel Baum, M.S. (Senior Director, Professional Development and Family Services for Gender Spectrum).
Before I get into the details of “Schools In Transition,” I’ll warn you that sprinkled throughout the guidelines is trans activist lingo. Terms like “cisgender,” “gender-expansive,” “assigned at birth,” “wrong puberty,” and “authentic selves” are used liberally and unabashedly. There is neither acknowledgement that students could be confused about their gender identity, nor any mention that most gender dysphoric children desist. It is assumed that once children declare themselves trans, it is a fact and they must be accommodated, even against parents’ wishes, if necessary. (There is actually an entire section devoted to “Unsupportive Parents” in Chapter 5.)
Hang on as I take you on a quick trip through all six chapters (and appendices) of “Schools In Transition.” I will share various nuggets of wisdom from the authors that I deem especially troubling. But I urge you to read the guidelines yourself. The authors thoroughly address all of the complications that trans students introduce into schools.
Introduction:
Don’t ever doubt children who think they are transgender. Period.
The expression of transgender identity, or any other form of gender-expansive behavior, is a healthy, appropriate and typical aspect of human development. A gender-expansive student should never be asked, encouraged or required to affirm a gender identity or to express their gender in a manner that is not consistent with their self-identification or expression. Any such attempts or requests are unethical and will likely cause significant emotional harm. It is irrelevant whether a person’s objection to a student’s identity or expression is based on sincerely held religious beliefs or the belief that the student lacks capacity or ability to assert their gender identity or expression (e.g., due to age, developmental disability or intellectual disability).
Chapter 1:
If you don’t affirm their transgender self diagnosis, it will likely lead to suicide.
The consequences of not affirming a child’s gender identity can be severe, and it can interfere with their ability to develop and maintain healthy interpersonal relationships. In the school context, that distress will also hinder a transgender student’s focus in class and ability to learn. The longer a transgender youth is not affirmed, the more significant and long-lasting the negative consequences can become, including loss of interest in school, heightened risk for alcohol and drug use, poor mental health and suicide.
It is best to socially transition children who think they are the opposite sex.
With the goal of preventing or alleviating the distress that transgender youth often experience, typically referred to as Gender Dysphoria,3 healthcare providers recommend that the child “socially transition” and live consistently with their gender identity. That includes dressing, interacting with peers and using names and pronouns in a manner consistent with their identified gender. For most transgender youth, social transition provides tremendous and immediate relief, allowing them to flourish socially, emotionally and academically.
Chapter 2:
This chapter deals with bullying of “gender-expansive” youth. I agree that no child should be harassed due to how they present or act. And, actually, I strongly support this statement:
No child should be prevented from pursuing their passions simply based on others’ perceptions of their gender. By sending a message that certain pursuits are off-limits simply because of a person’s gender, we lose access to an incredible source of human potential.
Chapter 3:
Staff, students and parents may need to be trained to accept a student’s authentic self.
A student’s desire to undergo a gender transition at school is borne out of a deep need to be their authentic self. The urgency and timing of the gender transition must be carefully balanced. Ideally, the student is not currently experiencing an unmanageably high level of distress at school, which will allow the student, school and family (if appropriate) to work together as a team to establish the most positive scenario in which the transition can take place. This process could include training for staff, students and parents and a carefully laid out plan for the student’s authentic identity to be shared with the school community.
If anyone has a problem accepting children as transgender, it’s probably because they are uninformed.
It is important to keep in mind that many negative reactions boil down to a lack of knowledge or familiarity with the idea of transgender people, particularly transgender youth. While a public transition might make others (including you) feel uncomfortable, that discomfort does not outweigh the student’s need to be safe and supported.
Chapter 4:
Students get to decide where they go and what they do based on gender identity. If anyone has a problem accepting this, they should try to be more open-minded.
Another crucial element in supporting a transitioning student is giving them access to sex-separated facilities, activities or programs based on the student’s gender identity. Restrooms, locker rooms, health and physical education classes, competitive athletics, overnight field trips, homecoming court and prom are just some of the explicitly gendered spaces that tend to be the most controversial because they require us to re-examine our beliefs about who belongs in those spaces.
Concerning bathroom usage, a transgender student’s comfort level has a higher priority than a non-transgender student’s comfort level.
Any student who feels uncomfortable sharing facilities with a transgender student should be allowed to use another more private facility like the bathroom in the nurse’s office, but a transgender student should never be forced to use alternative facilities to make other students comfortable.
Teachers, are you planning an overnight field trip? Gender identity determines the sleeping arrangements. And the school cannot disclose to roommates or parents if a student’s gender identity and sex do not match.
A transgender student’s comfort level with sleeping arrangements will largely dictate the manner in which related issues are addressed. If students are to be separated based on gender, then the transgender student should be allowed to room with peers that match their gender identity. As with any other students, the school should try to pair the transgender student with peers with whom the student feels comfortable. In some cases, a transgender student may want a room with fewer roommates or another alternative suggested by the student or their family. The school should honor these requests whenever possible and make adjustments to prevent the student from being marginalized because of those alternative arrangements. Regardless of whether those roommates know about the student’s gender identity, the school has an obligation to maintain the student’s privacy and cannot disclose or require disclosure of the student’s transgender status to the other students or their parents.
Don’t believe that trans girls could have an advantage over natal girls on competitive sports teams. Seriously, don’t think about it. Stop.
Even in states whose athletic associations do not have a written policy or rule on this topic, schools and districts should allow transgender students to compete on athletic teams based on gender identity. Unfortunately, schools often erroneously believe that a transgender student, particularly a transgender girl, will have a competitive advantage over the other players and therefore should not be allowed to compete on the team that matches their gender identity. Concerns regarding competitive advantage are unfounded and often grounded in sex stereotypes about the differences and abilities of males versus females.11”
Focusing on the perceived differences between males and females too often obscures the fact that there is great variation among cisgender males and among cisgender females. Moreover, the very small numbers of transgender student-athletes who have benefitted from transgender-inclusive eligibility rules have integrated well within the size and skill level of their teammates, such that there has not been any concern with competitive advantage. Thus, while a transgender girl may have been assigned male at birth, she still falls within the wide range of athletic abilities of her female peers.
Similarly, the participation of transgender student-athletes does not compromise their safety or that of other student-athletes. The safety rules of each sport are designed to protect players of all sizes and skill levels and adequately neutralize any concerns regarding the safety of transgender and cisgender student-athletes.
Chapter 5:
Schools should affirm and accept students as transgender even if it goes against their parent(s)’ wishes.
In these situations, the transgender student will often seek out an administrator or educator for support. Whenever a transgender student initiates this process, the educator or administrator should ask whether the student’s family is accepting in order to avoid inadvertently putting the student at risk of greater harm by discussing with the student’s family. Based on that information, the school and student should determine how to proceed through the collaborative process of figuring out how the school can support the student and balance the student’s need to be affirmed at school with the reality that the student does not have that support at home.
Unsupportive parents might need to be educated by the school on how best to support their child. To sway them, school officials may need to remind them about the high rate of suicide.
Addressing the student’s needs at school provides a great short-term solution; but where possible, the goal should be to support the student’s family in accepting their child’s gender identity and seek opportunities to foster a better relationship between the student and their family. A parent’s initial negative reaction to indications that their child might be transgender is likely based on inaccurate or incomplete information about gender identity or out of fear for what this will mean for their child’s future. Such reactions often come from a place of love and protection, and are not intended to harm their child — rejection can be a misguided attempt at protection. Learning that transgender youth experience these behaviors as rejection, and that these behaviors can have serious consequences for their children, often helps families change their behaviors.
Schools can assist the process of family acceptance in a myriad of ways, including arranging a safe space for the student to disclose their gender identity to their parents, providing counseling services for the whole family or connecting them to local resources or other parents of transgender or gender-expansive youth. As part of this effort, it is important to educate the student’s family members about the serious consequences of refusing to affirm their child’s gender identity. Sharing observations from school personnel that highlight the effects rejection has had on the student may also help encourage parents to begin moving toward acceptance.
When all else fails, school officials may need to testify against unsupportive parents in court. Parents, unlike educators, can be biased about their student’s needs.
If the parents are unable to resolve the dispute amicably, it is possible that an educator or school administrator may be called to testify in court.
School officials interact with the student on a daily basis and focus on supporting the student’s growth and development, which gives school personnel unique insight into the student’s needs without the biases parents can or are perceived to have. Sharing the school’s experiences with the student before and after the student began identifying as transgender can help highlight to the judge the importance of affirming the student’s gender identity. Describing the academic, social or emotional changes that school personnel observed will strengthen the testimony and give the judge a fuller understanding of the child’s needs and what would be in that that child’s best interests.
Chapter 6:
This chapter focuses on ways to get legal protections for transgender students. Just utilize Title IX, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), and state anti-discrimination laws.
Appendix A (Puberty and Medical Transition):
The benefits of binders outweigh the risks.
At the onset of puberty, gender dysphoria can become incapacitating for transgender youth as their body begins to develop secondary sex characteristics that are inconsistent with their gender identity. These inconsistencies are also visible to peers. Transgender youth often take special precautions to hide their developing bodies with the hope of presenting to the outside world a body that is consistent with their gender identity. For example, a youth who identifies as male may use clothing and materials to flatten the contours of his chest. Those materials can be tight, constricting and uncomfortable; however, the dysphoria caused by not taking those additional precautions far outweighs the drawbacks.
Appendix B (Gender & Pronouns):
To reduce gender dysphoria, use incorrect grammar.
Appendix C (Talking Points):
I won’t reproduce all four pages here, but Appendix C includes talking points developed by Gender Spectrum to address concerns about teaching gender and supporting trans students.
Some examples:
- So who decides if a student is transgender? What is to prevent a boy coming to school one day and simply declaring that he is a girl and changing in the girl’s locker room?
- Why should my child learn about gender at school?
- Isn’t my child too young to be learning about gender?
- If you’re talking about gender aren’t you discussing reproduction and sexuality?
- Ideas about gender diversity go against the values we are instilling in my child at home. Are you trying to teach my child to reject these values?
- Won’t my child get confused if we speak about more than two gender options?
- Won’t discussing gender encourage my child to be transgender?
Administrators at US public schools–without consultation with parents or the rest of the citizenry–have enlisted the aid of a well known trans-activist organization to set policy. San Francisco Bay Area-based Gender Spectrum provides “consultation, training and events designed to help families, educators, professionals, and organizations understand and address the concepts of gender identity and expression.” Put another way, they are really big into educating people who may have doubts about gender identity.
I admit that the information on their site makes my head spin. On the one hand, I am in total agreement that society’s rigid definitions of gender are harmful. And, likewise, I believe that it “is detrimental to those who do not fit neatly into these categories.” On the other hand, I cannot grasp how rejecting sex role stereotypes would lead a person to believe they are transgender. Their website is full of this kind of faulty reasoning.
Well, let’s get back to Schools In Transition. We are close to the finish line.
Appendix D (Gender Support Plan & Gender Transition Plan):
Gender Spectrum is also the brains behind creating official-looking, convenient, ready-to-print forms. Included is a Gender Support Plan form and a Gender Transition Plan form.
Appendix E (Assessing Transgender Students for Special Education):
Make sure that anyone evaluating a transgender student keeps affirming and accepting their gender identity. Educate them if necessary.
Determining whether a student qualifies for an IEP or Section 504 Plan typically involves an assessment. To ensure the assessment provides accurate results, the assessment must be conducted in a manner that affirms the student’s gender identity. Beyond referring to the student by their chosen name and pronouns, the assessor should become familiar with the literature on transgender youth. Having experience working with transgender youth can also help lead to a more accurate assessment of a transgender student’s needs. Lastly, the assessor must not recommend any supports, services or accommodations that are intended to change a student’s gender identity or otherwise shame them for who they are.
Overall, I am quite amazed at the amount of information crammed into “Schools In Transition.” It seems designed to help schools navigate through ALL of the trans-induced complications. Schools under the threat of losing federal funding may feel they have no choice but to embrace these guidelines. Especially since the National Education Association (yes, the organization representing three million teachers) is a co-author and is promoting it as an “extremely valuable resource.”
“NEA is proud to be a co-author of Schools in Transition, a first-of-its kind guide to supporting transgender students in K-12 schools,” added NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia. “This publication is an extremely valuable resource for the three million NEA members who work tirelessly to assure that their schools and classrooms are safe and welcoming for all students. And it will be a lifesaver for the increasing number of transgender students who are living as their authentic selves. Only when every school provides an inclusive, respectful environment can every student achieve their full potential.”
If there are any teachers out there reading this, I hope you are also skeptical about “Schools In Transition.” Many of you know your students quite well and realize that children can sometimes be confused. By “affirming” every student’s gender identity (because it is sanctioned by your schools’ policies), you may actually be causing them harm and setting them on the path to socially and medically transition with all of its attendant risks. If you share doubts and agree that this type of “support” could be detrimental, please raise questions with your school administrators. There are many concerned parents who need your help.
One big disaster.
“Public schools” in the United States are no longer what we used to think of as “schools,” with instruction in history, literature, geography, sciences and other generally useful subjects. They can now only be described as “government-sponsored social engineering & indoctrination programs (with compulsory attendance).” All over this country, kids are being force-fed “sensitivity training” and are told a bunch of blatant lies about “gender identity.” The big push for “school-based health centers” will exacerbate the teen trans trend — you must resist these in your communities.
There are hordes of community-based “social services provider” ideologue organizations with which school districts are crookedly contracting to give presentations on sexuality, “identities” etc., as well as provide useless (and potentially harmful) “depression screening,” “suicide prevention” and other nonsense that sounds OK to parents asleep at the wheel. These social work/psychology grifters are also usually contracted to staff the school-based health centers. All of this social engineering is combined with intrusive data collection, an integral component of the federally-mandated “Common Core” curriculum.
It is a very dangerous time for teenagers in this country. If they live in Oregon (where 15 year olds can even have drastic major “transgender” surgeries without telling parents, potentially facilitated by school-based health centers), they are at extreme risk of harm.
To anyone whose kids attend government schools (any grade level) in the United States: Pay very close attention to the syllabus of each class but also to any type of special social science presentations, guest speakers, mental health screening and especially “health center” initiatives. You can “opt out” your child from this harmful programming. It’s tough to avoid, regardless.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of parents asleep at the wheel. Schools educating kids to be more sensitive about a marginalized group sounds like a noble cause. But some kids will become confused. I know I’ve personally read at least two stories from parents whose child suddenly announced they were trans after attending one of these trans training sessions.
I am no longer a teacher, but I did teach high school at one time, and still work with schools and children. This sort of thing is incredibly depressing, because if this policy had been instituted at my school, I can almost guarantee the choice would have been to go along with it or resign/be fired. Teachers don’t have any power over these kinds of administrative changes.
What I find really strange is that these massive policy changes have only happened in the last few years, with absolutely no input or consultation with the public. Has there ever been anything like this before? The blatant directive to go against parents’ wishes, and to hide information from parents, is utterly mind-boggling. How is it even legal to do that with minor children?
I wonder that, too. There weren’t massive policy changes regarding bullying gay and lesbian students, despite that it was a major issue at one time- and they had counter-arguments from people concerned about it infringing on their religious beliefs. You’re right, I’ve worked with children for a long time, and I can’t think of any other situation when we were instructed to go against parents wishes or deceive them in any way. In cases of suspected abuse, you contact the authorities… but always the parent’s beliefs were sacrosanct, and schools had to get permission before teaching anything controversial.
Although, there has been a social shift in the past ten years or so where parenting decisions are subjected to increasingly harsher scrutiny(the outcry against “free range children”, parents arrested for leaving children unattended in low-danger situations). It’s a bit of a bizarre coincide: We don’t trust children to stay safe without constant surveillance, but they know, without question, whether they should “transition”.
There’s so much fear involved in both- fear that children will be harmed, they’ll commit suicide, their parents will hurt them.,, and very little self-reflection.The entire trans movement depends on that fear, because if there was honest debate, people would realize that, hey, you can’t really change sex.
It reminds me of how aboriginal children have been treated, forced into schools of another culture, barriers created between them and their families.
That may sound extreme but I can think of nothing else that resonates.
You are right. They need to get sued! Money is the only thing these people understand. On our end, we need networking with others who oppose the trans trend. Trans is organized and we are not. That is why this is happening!
It reminds me of how, in the 80s, creationists targeted local school systems and quietly changed the curriculum. Back then, though, there was so much outrage when the news broke that there was a backlash. Now, it seems that the media is determined to describe any opposition to gender extremism as bigoted ignorance – and as we’ve seen with Title IX being extended to gender identity, the current administration also supports these policies.
Kathy M, the exploitation of Title IX in particular really bothers me. What was once such a positive thing for girls/women is now being used to infringe on their rights. What a disaster. I do hold some hope that judges at the federal level will determine the Department of Education’s interpretation of Title IX was way out of line.
The issue of personal freedom and how these freedoms intersect with the rights of others is an issue that is perhaps one of the most challenging to address when looking at “transgender rights”.
Mental health evaluations have been largely phased out and/or deemed irrelevant when diagnosing a patient as “transgender”. Transgender activists have been largely successful in removing “gatekeepers” (a term used by transgender activists to describe mental health practitioners who are perceived to be obstacles to a person seeking gender reassignment).
The diagnosis of transgenderism (too often) overshadows other mental health conditions and this is potentially dangerous. This can allow people who are mentally unstable, actively self-injurious and/or engage in suicidal ideation to obtain letters of approval gender reassignment.
A person may even hold a criminal record of violence or be documented as a registered sex offender, yet gain approval for gender reassignment and legal access to gender specific spaces -such as public restroom and lockers rooms (EX: convicted transgender felons: Synthia Blast or Michelle Kiolesek).
When one considers how many criminal acts go unreported or without conviction, it is concerning that mental instability, especially a lack of impulse control (or history of criminal behavior) is not an obstacle to “transition”. One can research and find documented cases where this issue of allowing a mentally unstable person and/or a person with a history of violence/rape to “transition” (and gain legal access to gender specific spaces), has lead to new arrests.
It is an extremely difficult topic to address when discussing minors who are at risk of bullying. No one wants any child to be harmed. How can each child’s right to safety, privacy and self-expression be guaranteed and equally respected?
Speaking of trans women criminals, particularly sex offenders, here’s a link to a post on Out of My Panties Now (the name refers to autogynephiles) where she lists reports of crimes by trans women. And you scroll down. And you scroll down. And it never ends.
https://outofmypantiesnow.wordpress.com/2013/10/28/when-is-90-not-substantially-all/
Hi 4thwave know – do you know about this?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/mom-combats-gender-stereotypes-with-stillaboy-campaign_us_56abbe47e4b00b033aaf0587?ir=Gay+Voices§ion=us_gay-voices&utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&
That’s great! We need more people doing this work. It’s a campaign called “stillaboy” and “stillagirl,” fighting for kids who don’t conform to stereotypes.
Interesting that anyone objects? I’m going to look into that: “Mom Martine Zoer, whose clothing line Quirkie Kids offers pink T-shirts for both girls and boys, launched the #StillABoy campaign and Instagram account after facing criticism that her business was “robbing kids of their gender.”
“I started using the hashtag #StillABoy as a way of saying, ‘Hey … a boy who wears pink is still a boy, just like a girl who wears blue is still a girl,'” Zoer [said].
I love this. Thanks for sharing.
Reblogged this on There Are So Many Things Wrong With This and commented:
Terrific work, overwhelmed.
Thanks! Flattered that you reblogged. Appreciate you spreading the word.
Terrifying information. Excellent work, Overwhelmed. The ideas behind this “movement” could almost have come from the Third Reich, the indoctrination of innocent children to push them toward a new mindset without parents permission or distinctly against their wishes.
I would say, try putting an animal (elephant, kangaroo, dog) in place of “transgender” and see how it reads, but then I recall the whole “purple penguin” thing. There is no rational thought with all this.
I knew it was not good to nationalize education but I never thought the reach of government would go so far, or be so invasive as to overstep parental rights, not to mention individual rights.
As I said, it is terrifying.
I agree, it is terrifying. The denial of science. The potential harms to children. The usurping of parental rights. I just hope that bringing this information to light will help bring about much needed change.
This has happened in my own life. My daughter started off the school year with a new name and insisting on male pronouns. We have stayed quiet as far as school goes, because we figured she would crash and burn and then we could point out that she should have gotten SOME boost from being able to do what she wants. Our predictions were true — she started tanking in school before Thanksgiving and she ended up in the hospital three times in a little over a month and got a new diagnosis. Of course, SHE thinks this proves nothing, but mental health professionals, while they won’t speak out publicly (this is California and they want to keep their jobs) are starting to doubt her trans-ness as well.
When she was in the ER awaiting a hospital placement the second time, the nurse tried to talk around whether she had had a roommate the first time and if it had been a boy or a girl. That’s when I had to take the nurse outside and have a come-to-Jesus talk about how my kid is FEMALE and she needs to be in a room with another female because, like all females, she has a vagina and she could get pregnant or be raped. The sheer magical thinking of actual adults working in HEALTH CARE is unbelievable. A 16-year-old girl and they’re acting like she should be able to choose her roommate’s sex in A MENTAL HOSPITAL BECAUSE HURT FEELINGS.
That’s so horrifying Katiesan. I remember you telling us about that when it happened. Magical thinking is right, trans is so anti-science. I think the fellow who wrote the New York Magazine article is seeing that. Judging by some of his tweets.
Considering that men are in power everywhere (including the NEA). it is not surprising that the NEA is pushing this horrendous bullshit. I think the reason the American right wing is not supporting transgenderism, as is the Iranian right wing, is because they think being trans is something akin to being gay/lesbian and undermining conventional sex roles, which it is not. I do not believe that the right wing’s opposition can be counted on forever. It is so ironic when they (the pro “trans” crowd) talk of letting the “trans” students be their “authentic selves” when what they are doing is anything but! A boy claiming to be a girl or vice versa is not being his/her “authentic self.” To claim that they are is laughable. And I say this as a female who, at age 63, has NEVER been comfortable or OK with conventional female sex roles/stereotypes, and who has defied them all her life.
Anyway, the future depends on getting men out of power. Otherwise, it will simply never be settled and will get worse on a regular basis.
I don’t see this as a battle between men and women. The people I have talked to recently who are the most skeptical about this trans kid trend are heterosexual men. I see far more women talking and writing in glowing terms about the trans kid phenomenon. I think one key problem is that the left (my side) has conflated support for gay and lesbian people with support for transgenderism. Many liberals, including many women, are just not well informed about the real ramifications of stuff like is being talked about in this post. The mainstream media doesn’t mention that many kids are being sterilized. It doesn’t talk about the fact that transactivists are setting school policy and encouraging teachers to deceive parents. It’s liberals, the left, and powerful LGBT organizations who are enabling what’s going on. And the mainstream media refuse in almost every case to report any problems. It’s all about celebrating the “brave” kids and their “brave” parents. Even in cases where someone was previously gay, no one questions why the now trans identified person abandoned their former sexual orientation.
Ugh, I didn’t mean to “like” my own comment up there. Not only the left, but most EVERYBODY has conflated transgender issues, with gay/lesbian issues, including the right. Thus, the support of trans from the left and opposition of it from the right. As to heterosexual men being the most skeptical of the trans kid narrative, they are its main originators – in the form of trans “lesbians”, heterosexual men who “identify” as lesbians, which incidentally are the majority of “transwomen.” About the women talking and writing in glowing terms about the trans kid phenomenon – well, what’s new about that? Men inventing a new narrative and women falling for it lock, stock and barrel. As you said, they’re just not well informed about the real ramifications of stuff like that, and that will continue as long as men are in power. The trans movement is a men’s rights movement.
So, in my personal life, there are three groups of people I’ve found to be most skeptical of the trans-kid trend (not in any particular order): (1) fathers/dads (a very different set of men than the “trans women” who “identify as lesbians”) (2) radical feminist women, and (3) actual scientists. Of course, there are other skeptics (more every day, I’d wager), including quite a few mothers who are waking up to the reality of what this all means. I’d also point out that there are several trans activist organizations that were founded and/or headed up by women or FTMs–Gendered Intelligence in the UK, the NCLR (National Center for Lesbian Rights, now a misnomer), WPATH, and Gender Spectrum being just a few examples. While it’s possible these women were originally swayed to their pro-child-transition stance by men, I have a hard time seeing women like these as mere followers.
No doubt it’s women and girls who are being most hurt by the trans-kid trend, but so are many sons who don’t fit stereotypes, too. The thing is, I don’t think most regular guys are exactly seeing much benefit from their daughters, sons, or other family members being caught up in the media-medical whirlwind. It’s a lose-lose for everyone in the family, male or female, in way too many cases.
One of the things I have heard from my daughter’s father is that she has no clue what it’s like to be a man. He is a heterosexual male, and always accepted that our daughter loved sports, video games, etc. He loves those things about her. Not once has he ever viewed her as someone who should have been a boy. There are many of us women who think that no matter what a biological male does to appear female, he will never be a woman and could not understand our experiences. I think the same is true for many men. No matter what a biological woman does to appear male, she will never understand their experiences. These men are right. I couldn’t possibly know what it’s like to be a man.
I also feel that many heterosexual males believe that they are supposed to protect the women in their lives, especially their daughters. I don’t know too many fathers who would be comfortable with their little girl (transitioned or not) changing for PE in the boys’ locker room.
I also didn’t mean to like your comment above. I can’t help laughing at how you find “fathers/dads” to be so distinct from “transwomen” who “identify as lesbians.” Many of those “transwomen” ARE fathers/dads. They are also heterosexual men. The fact that they think differently from your “regular guys” doesn’t make them any less fathers/dads and hetero guys than the “regulars”. FTM leaders of trans orgs are pretty much in the same position vis a vis transgenderism as female Christian priests are vis a vis Christianity – they are preaching a male religion.
I have to go out to a rehearsal now, so sorry I can’t answer more fully at the moment. Maybe later. And I also want to say that despite our little disagreement here, I think you do a wonderful job with this blog. Thank heavens there are sane people in this world who are willing to actually stand up for children and not just consign them to the trans doctors and therapists.
I’m well aware that many “transwomen” are also fathers/dads (quite a few of whom abandon their families). But the men I was referring to (and whom I know of personally) don’t buy into the trans narrative. It’s a minority of men who think they’re women, and/or who derive any benefit from the transgender movement. My overriding point is that this whole trans-kid thing does not benefit anyone in a family–regardless of who makes up that family. And because I happen to know of dads who are distressed about this situation with their kids, and who want to do something to change it, I include them in the community here.
Incidentally, I live in Chicago, geographically near this controversy. This controversy is currently taking place in the suburb of Elgin, IL.
The ACLU of IL is conducting a poll:
http://www.aclu-il.org/take-the-poll-should-transgender-people-be-able-to-change-the-gender-marker-on-their-birth-certificates/
Won’t you take it too? Note the biased wording of the question. Birth certificates don’t have “gender markers.” They have fields for biological sex.
February 11, 2016 4:14 pm
Take the poll: Do you support legislation to allow transgender people to be able to change the gender marker on their birth certificates?
By John Knight, LGBT and HIV Project Director
Thank you
Take the poll:
Do you support legislation to allow transgender people to be able to change the gender marker on their birth certificates without proof of transition-related surgery?
Yes – 52% ( )
No – 34% ( )
We have seen great shifts in public attitudes about and growing understanding of people who are transgender over the past few years. Now we need to make an important policy change. A proposal being introduced in the Illinois House of Representatives by Representative Greg Harris (HB 6073) allows transgender and intersex people to change the gender marker on their birth certificate without proof of transition-related surgery.
Take the poll: Do you favor or oppose legislation to allow transgender people to change the gender marker on their birth certificate without proof of transition-related surgery?
The idea of forcing someone to have surgery in order to correct this fundamental document is outdated and inconsistent with contemporary science. Leading medical organizations urge the elimination of surgical requirements, recommending the requirement to complete individualized medical treatment for gender transition – which may not include surgery – for correcting gender markers.
Surgery is something that is not available, necessary, or even medically advisable for every person who is transitioning. Our State law should recognize this reality. This proposal brings Illinois’ vital records law into line with the standards used by the federal government and a growing list of states. The federal government and several states no longer require surgery, but require instead a declaration from a licensed medical or mental health professional that the individual has undergone clinically appropriate treatment.
Most importantly, this bill relieves transgender and intersex people of a serious burden by reducing the serious risks of discrimination, harassment, embarrassment, and assault transgender and intersex people face by making it possible for them to correct their core identification document – their birth certificate – so that it matches their identity and appearance.
Tell us what you think. Take the poll and let us know if you favor or oppose this legislation.
Issue(s): LGBT Rights
No, the “gender marker” should not be changed unless equal support is given to those people who “de-transition” as people who wish to return to their natal sex are faced with formidable obstacles that are far greater than those that they faced during “transition.” Also, I do not think that the birth certificate should be changed if a person holds a history as a registered sex offender or criminal violence. Also, it is critical that a person is capable of fully consenting to “transition” as human rights abuses could arise should incompetent psychotherapists or unscrupulous surgeons exploit an adolescent or a person with a mental impairment that makes it impossible for them to understand the inherent risks of using hormones (off label) in the non-FDA approved treatment of “transgenderism.” Without adequate mental health support, the possibility of co-existing conditions such as dissociative disorders and depression cannot be ruled out and these conditions may go without treatment, resulting in a risk of suicide or other patient endangerment.
First of all, there are no “gender markers” on birth certificates! The field is for biological sex. Second, the field for biological sex should never be changed except: 1. if the person has an actual chromosomal intersex condition (not self-described transsexual or transgender) or 2. in the event of a simple clerical error.
lovetruthcourage, I love how you anticipated the possibility of clerical error!
Birth certificate should never be changed at all. If there was some good reason including to do with the parents names for instance, then they should be amended with the original still being on file. I mean duh. And for drivers licenses transgender people who have transitioned really need their own designation. Including so that the great hulking man who are femulating can get through airport security. It’s in their own interests. If you look exactly like a man and your ID says you’re a woman in a security situation that does not actually help you. But these policy objectives are designed all for the fantasy, all for the fetish…
The ACLU is quite involved in the movement for transgender rights. A lot of lawsuits. I can only hope that as these cases climb the ladder of the court system, that judges will be able to filter out the pseudoscience from the science and make good decisions.
You and me both! However, the general public has very little science education. The public does not even understand how to evaluate scientific research. Judges generally do not study physical and life sciences beyond their gen ed requirements. So, I am not optimistic. I am really disappointed in the ACLU for pushing this trans nonsense. Leftists should leave science denial to far-righters.
Excellent post! Just unbelievable! These facts need to become more widely known. The instructions to deceive are just unbelievable! Anti-trans needs to organize. That is the bottom line!
NCLR really should change it’s name because they don’t support lesbian rights at all. Instead, they are more supportive of getting the taxpayers to pay for cosmetic surgery for men who have murdered women and suing gay-male sports teams for being discriminatory against het men.
https://gendertrender.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/lesbians-are-women/
As for things that might actually impact real lesbians, like employment discrimination? Not important:
https://gendertrender.wordpress.com/2011/01/05/lesbians-are-women/#comment-35023
The comments in the GenderTrender article are quite good. Furthermore, NCLR was one of the organizations that set up the anti-lesbian and all around anti-female boycott of Michfest for daring to have women-only space on private land and saying “no” to the violent predatory men (MTTs) who vandalize the place every year.
This policy is quite creepy. I never remember as much concern for lesbians and gays being bullied and even bullying based on race or sex when I was in high school. Really, how does this happen without any dissent? Teaching students to be fair to people who are different from them is one thing, but there’s a fine line between being fair and being so “open-minded” your brains start falling out. It is pretty bad if kids hear about this idea and then immediately decide they need to transition.
The repeated mentions of suicide is really just emotional blackmail. I actually was bullied more for being overweight in elementary and middle school, but if the teachers had told the others kids I would kill myself over it, I would have just been bullied worse. Plus, the main thing I wanted was just to be able to make it through the school day and do my work, not any of this “too good for this sinful earth” crap.
They could change the name of NCLR to The Jerry Falwell Association for the Destruction of Lesbians. Then they could still have ‘lesbian’ in the name.😁😖 Hey, got to keep those donations coming in.
True, that’s essentially what it is. The current director of NCLR insists that she is a man and really the only way you’re going to sign up with the enemy is due to your misogyny and/or lesbophobia.
It would be nice if there was a group that actually focused on real lesbians and not any of these wannabes because I’d join that.
I was quite appalled how much the NCLR was involved with the transgender rights movement. I agree a name change should be in order.
You hit the nail on the head with this statement:
“Teaching students to be fair to people who are different from them is one thing, but there’s a fine line between being fair and being so “open-minded” your brains start falling out.”
Now that same-sex marriage is the law of the land and lesbians are more socially accepted in mainstream society, perhaps groups like the NCLR feel they must shift their focus to trans rights in order to remain relevant? Or rather, to keep those donation$ coming.
Thanks! I used to consider myself a liberal, but it’s clear that liberals are content to stick their heads in the sand and do a ton of damage to women’s rights for 0.3% of the male population that has a sexual fetish. Not to mention, all the damage being done to children who are lead into thinking that not conforming to sex-based stereotypes means they are really the opposite sex.
Plus, you can’t have any critical thinking. You can’t suggest that being economically dependent on a man is a bad idea because you might offend housewives. You can’t criticize any religion or point out that women are oppressed in countries like Iran are oppressed or point out that lesbians and gays in Iran can have a free “sex change” instead of being executed without being “islamophobic” or “transphobic”.
Not that I’m going to say the right-wing is full of free thought because it isn’t, but I think I make a valid argument. It’s odd to me that the majority of lesbians and gays will never suggest that a child or even a teenager is lesbian or gay (even if they obviously are) out of fear of appearing to be “recruiting” but the transgender movement wants to convince parents that toddlers can be transgender.
@Jens Lyon
That article was written before same-sex marriage was legal, but you have a good point. Many of these organizations are losing donations because homosexuality is much more accepted nowadays.
In addition, NCLR is never going to turn a huge profit if they focus only on lesbians. Most trans are het men pretending to be women or lesbians who don’t transition until later on after they made a bunch of kids with their wife and then get bored with their het male privilege and oftentimes high paying job. In otherwords, they have a lot more money than most lesbians and even a lot of heterosexual women and orgs like NCLR need the cash flow.
That’s another thing too, NCLR runs events and fundraisers that cost a lot of money and won’t do a sliding scale, which means poorer lesbians can’t attend.
Actually, you’ll find that a lot of big name charities are in it for the money and that they have executives that make 100K salaries or more.
Reblogged this on WolfWomanoftheNorth.
One thing that is very concerning is that while an adolescent identifying as Male to Female may be physically safer in a bathroom with girls, a adolescent who identifies as Female to Male may be at much greater risk. Also, both teenagers could be bullied in school bathrooms where adult supervision is generally lacking. One issue that makes bathrooms and locker rooms an area where bullying can easily occur is that not only are the students unsupervised but there is only one entrance that doubles as an exit.
Students are vulnerable in bathrooms and it seems that the schools should provide more supervision in bathrooms and locker rooms, in general. Maybe, things have gotten better since my high school days but I recall that more than a few kids got beaten up in these areas of the campus.
When the students are separated according to their anatomical sex, there is a better chance that their size and strength will be comparable but with “transgenderism”, a female-bodied student could be at a serious disadvantage, especially if outnumbered. It is a grim thought and it troubles me that the schools are being put in this situation where students are placed at a higher risk of assault – and where rape could easily occur.
Transgender identified students have the option to use a private bathroom but this can not be required of them. Forcing the issue has resulted in parents of “transgender” students suing the schools. Yet, if a child is assaulted in a bathroom or locker room, the school could also be held accountable.
And all of this is suppose to help the “transgender” child have a less stressful and more normal high school experience?
There is no way I would want my biologically female daughter using the boys’ locker room at her school. We put a biological female in a male-only changing area and everyone worries about the female’s safety. Why, then, isn’t anybody worried about the female’s safety when we put a biological male in a female-only changing area? If no females get attacked when a male is in a female-only space, then no females should be attacked when they are in a male-only space. But I think we all know that isn’t reality. Adults cannot be in every corner of a school at every moment, and many high school girls deal with unwelcome sexual advances from high school boys on a very regular basis. We need to think about the safety and comfort of the transgender student, but we also need to think about the safety and comfort of all of the girls using that locker room.
Even if no sexual assault takes place, forcing a girl to undress in front of a boy is abusive in and of itself. Imagine if a coach or a teacher forced a girl to shower with and/or undress in front of a boy as punishment for some problem behavior at school. That coach or teacher would be immediately fired and the incident would make the national news. The nation would be rightfully outraged at a coach degrading a girl by forcing her to undress in front of and/or shower with a male student. However, if that male student is says he feels like a girl on the inside, then the school somehow feels in the right to force girls to undress in front of him and shower with him. If the girls don’t want to be humiliated and degraded in this fashion, rather than the girls being the victims, the boy is the victim of the hateful, bigoted girls who need to “educate themselves.” Ridiculous!!!
Good point SkepticalMom.
Does a (natal) girl have the legal right to privacy? Does she have the right to decide for herself who she will be vulnerable with? If so, how can we support this right?
Even if no rape takes place, a boy or a man exposing himself to girls/women like that is a threat of violence.
This is so completely out of control! I’ve always supported public schools, and good private schools for people who can afford them, but if I ever have kids and this trans craziness hasn’t died down yet by then, I might have to homeschool them just to avoid all this. Even “unschooling” looks better than this! None of this was happening even five years ago, and yet today, all these zealots act like trans people are everywhere, in gigantic numbers, and it’s a done deal if a 2-year-old announces she’s really a boy.
How can children that age even make that decision? I have a nephew who is six and he likes Hello Kitty. He’s a boy who likes Hello Kitty toys, he isn’t any less a boy because of that. Why tell him he’s really a girl because of that? It’s enforcing gender stereotypes to ridiculous degrees, where it’s so rigid that boys and girls can’t enjoy things without being told they’re really a member of the opposite sex. It’s weird how conservative a lot of trans activists are, how they promote these rigid definitions of masculine and feminine that surgery and hormone replacement is needed if your kid likes My Little Pony.
Exactly! They can’t. It’s like all developmental psychology is thrown out the window on this. I remember when I was a kid and I was a different fictional character every week. My parents never said, “yes, you are totally [insert character here] so you should dress as her 24/7”.
Hey, what if your kid pretends to be a cat? Should s/he get tattoos and surgery to resemble a cat, like some adults have done?
Really, anyone who thinks about this rationally instead of having the knee-jerk, liberal “must be open-minded no matter what” reaction can see how fucked up this is. Eugenics and experimenting on children wasn’t okay before and it isn’t okay now. I view trans taking over former lesbian groups as parasitism, because guess what, being lesbian, or gay, or heterosexual, or bisexual, or asexual doesn’t mean you have to take crazy drugs that will eventually kill you or at least give you lots of health problems. Seriously, they already have class-action lawsuits for those “low-T” drugs marketed to insecure middle-aged men. What do you think will happen when women take them.
You can’t change your sex anymore than you can change species.
Pingback: NEA teams with trans activists to set school policy & secretly undermine “unsupportive” parents—even on overnight field trips – Critiquing Transgender Doctrine & Gender Identity Politics
So hypothetically, a parent who knows their son is faking gender dysphoria in order to access girls locker rooms for sexual purposes is to be ignored. Teenage boys can be sexual predators and lying to get access to victims is part of that. I feel bad for the schools, they are going to get sued into oblivion regardless of what they do.
The schools are quite the battleground for transgender rights. They are getting it from all sides–parents that want more rights for their trans kids, parents that want privacy for their non-trans kids, the federal government threatening to take away their funding (if they don’t follow their definition of Title IX), lawsuits on both sides. One big mess.
Oooh, good point. The parents warning the school in that scenario would just be disregarded as “bigots”. Anything that isn’t drinking the Kool-Aid gets to be “bigotry”. And then the people in authority including lackadaisical bureaucrats don’t have to think about it anymore. :-/
good job Overwhelmed. I have to admit that I’ve been feeling pretty ill about it ever since you posted it. Parents have no idea what is going on out there.
I wish I was in a position not to know. Ignorance was a lot less painful. (Though of course that’s a temporary state of affairs. This is what’s coming.
http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/seattle/2016/02/16/man-womens-locker-room-cites-gender-rule/80478058/
Part of me wishes I could un-see it too. When I read Schools In Transition the first time, I started copying and pasting the parts that I deemed horrible. But eventually I realized I had to become much more selective, otherwise I would be quoting the entire guidelines. It is that bad.
I have read very little dissent about this, even though it is what I would call an extreme shift in policy. Still have a hard time believing that the NEA is one of the backers.
I’m sure most parents don’t have a clue what is going on. They likely won’t comprehend how this will impact the rights of their children (or possibly themselves) until it comes to their school.
As for the video, yes, I think we will likely see more and more men going into female-only spaces. The way the laws are written, it just invites exploitation. The more laws like this get passed, the bigger mess it causes, and the more difficult it will be to undo.
Good coverage in that new story. I guess the Seattle news people will be the first ones to actually comprehend this mess. Very clear in that that this was just a man who wasn’t wearing women’s clothes and you didn’t say he was transgender. Lots of opponents pointing out the law is badly written, full of loopholes. Good!
I am the aunt of a 12 year old undergoing FTM transition, and also a member of my local school board. My niece’s transition and sister’s immersion into the transactivist community has torn my family apart, with me being the only “nonsupportive” relative. It is heartbreaking and I struggle with trying to respect my sister’s rights as a parent whIle holding firm to my belief that in the long run my niece will be even more hurt. My parents and other siblings have bought into all the pro-trans propaganda but at least try to respect my skepticism. However, once this issue comes to a vote in our school district I will not be able to remain silent. I have already informed the superintendent that if we pass such a policy I will tell every concerned parent to demand their child be allowed to use a private bathroom and changing facility. Just let the kids line up and see how ridiculous it is to put the desires of a few above the safety of the majority.
Thank you so much for commenting here. I’m sure your situation with your family must be incredibly stressful. And thank you for being willing to speak up in your school district–despite the obvious additional risk to your relationships with your sister and parents. Please keep commenting here and let us know how things go.
Momof5, I just want to endorse what 4thwave said. And say I too will be very interested to hear what happens with your school district. 😦 Good gravy what a mess! I’m so glad you’re there to speak up against this madness. And my sympathies on the difficult situation with your family. I can’t imagine being in that situation. How could one remain silent?
Momof5, I’m sorry you are going through this with your niece. It must be especially difficult to sit by and witness what is happening. I wish you the best and hope that your sister “wakes up” soon.
I appreciate that you will speak out if/when this issue arrives at your school. Sometimes all it takes is one brave person like yourself to voice their sensible opinion. Then others may feel more liberated to break their silence as well. Thank you!
Thank you for the support. I can’t tell you what it means to me to find this community when I have been called a bigot, idiot, on the wrong side of history, ignorant, closed-minded by my sister and her husband and the rest of my family assumes I will come around in time. The worst part is that I dearly love my niece and always thought it was so awesome that she was her own kind of girl. Now I am considered “dangerous” to her and am allowed no contact because if I were to slip and use her girl name or pronoun she would surely kill herself, I guess the thinking is. I just pray she remembers how much I love her and if she ever does decide to make peace with her body it will be important for her to have an ally.
Overwhelmed, you did an incredible job here of wading through the 68 pages of “newspeak” and highlighting some of the most salient (and horrifying) points for us.
For what it’s worth, there is a group of parents in another school district near Chicago, Illinois, High School District #87, that is attempting to fight back, called “Protect Children. Preserve Freedom.” In the video on their website, they bring up a point that I’ve often thought of, but have never heard in the media when discussing “bathroom bills.” Depending on the study, up to 1 in 4 young women have been sexually abused, almost 100% of the time by a biological male. How can it possibly be OK to force them to share a bathroom/locker room with a biological male? The organization’s website is:
http://pcpf.weebly.com/
I’m not affiliated with them in any way, and in fact don’t live anywhere near Chicago; I’ve simply been made aware of them. They have an online petition you can sign if you are interested. I know that many of the readers here will disapprove of the fact that they are being represented by Alliance Defending Freedom. However, as has been mentioned before, the ONLY law firms willing to take on these cases are the conservative ones.
Many thanks again, Overwhelmed, and of course to you too 4th Wave Now, for being a tiny beacon of sanity.
It is indeed frustrating that the only organizations which publicly question the breakneck pace at which all of this is happening are conservative ones.
Thanks for sharing the situation in Glendale Heights’ schools. I am in Chicagoland and signed the petition.
Concerned, thank you, I was not aware of this group of parents in Illinois. I’m glad they are bringing attention to this matter.
While I agree with Alliance Defending Freedom’s common sense bathroom policy, I strongly disagree with their stance on gay and lesbian rights. I wish there were other organizations out there as well-funded that were willing to fight this battle based on science and common sense, not religion.
Thank you for sharing the FB link. I was so touched by the letter by foster mom Stephanie, and her concern for the kids in her care and their right to privacy and the right not to be traumatized at school. She speaks with such tenderness and genuine concern survivors of sex abuse and that’s sadly all too rare these days.
Michigan Ed Dept. has released LGBTQ “guidance” for public schools — quietly issued in late February, now in public comment period. The document has the predictable bathroom/locker room/sports stuff but also advises public schools to address kids with preferred name/pronouns upon request, and to change records according to what the kids say about their identity. The guidance specifically states that parents are not to be advised of any such student requests, and school staff are to continue to use the birth name/gender references when communicating with parents. Because why the hell would parents need to know?
This guidance appears to cover all of the state’s public schools, with no lower age limit. Theoretically a first grader could make such a pronouncement and the school would have to accept it as real and permanent, direct all staff to address the kid accordingly, and say nothing to the family. (And then, presumably, switch it around however many times the kid requests.) Unofficial records (team rosters, etc) are to be amended immediately; official records to be amended as soon as the student’s no longer a minor, or at a parent request.
Report:
http://dailycaller.com/2016/03/21/michigan-schools-to-let-students-choose-gender-name-and-bathroom/
Guidance text:
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/Item_B_SBE_Statement_and_Guidance_on_LGBTQ_515608_7.pdf
This is the trend, people. This is the road we are on. And if there is insufficient publicity/pushback, we are heading toward the day when kids will be removed from the homes of ‘unsupportive’ parents. It seems nuts. But if this keeps going the way it is going …. I think it could happen. If transition (socal, then medical) is accepted as the only approved “medical treatment” for being a non-conforming/putative transkid, and the parents refuse to acquiesce, it could definitely happen. There’s precedent for kids being removed from parental custody if the parents don’t agree with a medical team’s assessment, including psych assessments. http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/12/15/justina/vnwzbbNdiodSD7WDTh6xZI/story.html
How long before some of this stuff comes before courts and some actual media coverage that is not centered around “cute exotic transkids” occurs?
I thought the same thing you did, puzzled. Even a six-year-old can demand to be called by a different name or pronouns, and according to this guidance, the school could keep it a secret from the parents. It’s a stealth erosion of parental rights. Thank you for pointing this out. We are indeed on that road, and more parents need to be speaking out against this. There is power in numbers.
And, I’ve been scared since my daughter started self-identifying as trans to take her to the doctor. Because our pediatrician talks to the kids alone and they’ve been pushing for us to set up online accounts so that the kids can talk to the doctor without us as intermediaries.
I like our doctor a lot. But I have zero doubt that my kid will go in, say she’s trans, and the doctor will either try to convince us to start transition or help my kid do it behind our backs.
I hate to be paranoid and it makes me sound like some kind of conspiracy nut, but this is the demolition of the family. Unless you are lucky enough that you either agree with the entire agenda or fortunate enough that your kid doesn’t step too far outside of certain lines, you will feel out-of-step and, well, you must be demonized and crushed.
I am right there with you, katiesan. I haven’t taken my daughter to the pediatrician in a couple of years, since an appt which got her up-to-date on all her vaccinations. She almost never falls ill, and as long as she is physically healthy, I just can’t risk it.
It seems that maybe all is not lost and that many people in MI are not going to go unheard. The comments on the sneaky proposition is very pro sexed-bathrooms. In fact, the Dept of Ed has extended the comment period, which seems a pretty transparent way to try and get more comments that the changes to public schools’ bathroom policy would be a good idea. But the people of MI are not having it.
http://everyvoicecountsmi.org/136/public-comment-on-the-state-board-of-education-draft-statement-and-guidance-on-safe-and-supportive-learning-environments-for-lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-and-questioning-lgbtq-students/comment-page-72#comments
There have been several comments pointing out that the wording is not just about bathrooms/locker rooms. I would encourage group members to comment and make the point that school support of social transition based on a child’s self-diagnosis, without parental knowledge, is not a minor action but rather gives the kid less and less room to “desist.” All the noise around the bathrooms tends to obscure this very key point.
People can imagine their daughters in a room with a bio-male but they can’t imagine the potential results of the “support” without parental knowledge/consent. It is a lot easier to compare the protests to ignorant/bigoted “anti black” or “anti gay” protests, or to assume it’s all just Christian bigotry, if the public does not understand what is actually going on out here in the med/psych/pharm “community” vis a vis medical transition for minors.
The public needs to understand what’s at stake, as this “movement” goes forward based on strongly held beliefs/memories of a small number of trans adults, and on dubious stats regarding suicide. I think a high percentage of them will be horrified.
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Just released today: http://publicadvocateusa.org/news/article.php?article=10794
(Falls Church, Virginia) Public Advocate a non-profit group announced today they have uncovered proof that the President, and two federal agencies, lied when telling the nation in an address and posted statements earlier this year that a “growing chorus” had complained and that he was responding to a national outpouring about transgender bathroom and shower policies.
Here is what we found from our review of these documents.
DOE received only six letters from individuals actually supporting transgendered bathrooms. On the other hand, it received 42 letters from individuals specifically asking DOE not to give in to transgender bathroom demands. That means seven times as many people wrote opposed the DOE’s plan than wrote to support it!
In addition to individual letters, DOE received 27 pre-written “form letters” in favor of bathroom desegregation, but it received at least 4,101 petitions asking DOE not to desegregate school bathrooms! That’s 157 times more people opposed to the idea than in favor of it! One Public Advocate social website post on facebook has 50,000 opposed to the policy.
Additionally, DOE received a handful of letters from pro-homosexual/ transgender lobbying groups – all special interest groups – much different from the individual “educators, parents, and students,” as DOE and DOJ had claimed.
CONCLUSION:
Public Advocate hit the nail squarely on the head. The Obama Administration continues to force radical, leftist policies on this country that are opposed by a majority of Americans. And by the way, DOE eventually agreed to waive the Freedom of Information search fees associated with the Public Advocate request.