English 101-21

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Transgender Students in Public Schools

11/20/2014

Their rights, just as important as all other students.

Students today are a lot different than those of previous generations. These last few years, our generations are being taught to express themselves, to be who they really are, and that its okay to stand out. The LGBT community is at an all time popularity, with more and more powerful gay, transgender, and lesbian celebrities in our culture. All this pro-expression in our culture is great for young minds trying to figure out who they are, but then why are our public schools still denying all this progress?

Adolescents is a time to understand emotions, and school is a staple in molding young minds. Our children are in school 7/8 hours a day, 180 days of the year. What they do day in and day out and how their school treats them is how they learn how to handle the world outside their homes. We are putting these very influential, growing minds into structured facilities that are denying self expression. What does this say about how young people know about the outside world?

With the public school standards the way they are, young people are being taught it is not okay to be different, causing many in the LGBT community to have struggles just getting through the school day.

Middle and High School is already one of the most stressful and awkward times in young people's lives, so many influential staples happen during these early years. This is the beginning stages of finding ones true self. The smallest things can affect a person permanently, emotional scaring can cause dramatic negative effects on a persons future.

Majority of the public schools use the traditional Male and Female bathrooms and locker rooms, but only allow students to use the facility of what they were assigned to not what they identify with. This forces uncomfortably among transgender students and can cause permanent emotional scaring.

Many young people face identity disorders, clinical depression due to mistreatment in schools. These emotional scarings can even lead to suicide.

Some of the problems:

Transgender individuals face many problems, and at times more than the rest of the LGBT community. Besides the most common, discrimination, transgenders face many issues with being able to fulfill basic needs. Needs such as getting a job, getting health care, and the right to use the restrooms. For all others we do not think about these being being hard to get, it is easily at our reach.

Imagine being humiliatingly told you can not use the restroom.

When it comes to getting a job, health care, and using the restrooms, many of us do not think about the legal matters behind each of these factors.

Many jobs have trouble hiring transgender employees because of gender norms, dress codes, and background checks. Even though it is illegal to discriminating not hire someone, some employers simply don't know how to adapt their businesses for a transgender employee.

Health care, you would think is something that can be accepting of a persons identity but you'd think wrong. Health care requires extensive legal work, documenting a persons sex and medical history. Many health care options do not have categories that can legally accept transgenders.

Even though public schools have noting to do with my last two factors, this last factor is a problem in and out of schools. As I said previously, bathrooms become a problem allowing people to be comfortable or accepted. These problems come in to play in our public school setting, denying students the right to use the facility of the gender they identity with. In other words, these discriminating factors deny students natural rights.

Not all schools are denying student rights, currently in the last few years some schools have been pushing for a change.

Few schools have signed votes, on how to address the bathrooms situation for transgender students.

Sadly, in most counties, when this issue is brought up it is instantly brushed under the rug, many school boards do not know how to deal with this issue and can not find answers that work for everyone.

Many parents and communities will not allow their public schools to even bring up the issue. Typically, communities ran by older generations, do not want to change or fix the bathrooms to be suited for those who identity with other genders. Old ways and many religious stand points do not see transgender as something people are. The option to allow transgender students the right to use the bathroom of their choice causes such a debate, many schools do not want to even bring up the issue as to not cause even bigger problems. Including, one of the most well know, Bullying.

Bullying affects on Transgender Students

It doesn't take long to find a story where a transgender student was being bullied for being different.
In Katie Hills case, she was the first transgender student to graduate from her school. And one of the first transgenders in her community. She faced bullying and discrimination at school, causing clinical depression and identity disorders.

She faced years of discrimination and struggles to find who she really was. She was laughed at all through her school years, until later on in her high school years when people came around and some even apologized. Her own family had trouble accepting who she was. Which in any cases is also a problems, it isn't just our schools that need to change, but parents need to back up transgender students and the schools trying to show acceptance.

After hearing her story and her struggles, an anonymous donor offered to pay for Katie Hills surgery. She now no longer faces identity disorder and claims to be feeling more accepted all around. After the surgery, she became more in touch with her family and herself. She now wants to help other people like herself figures things out. Katie tells reporters, "I realized, because of this, it's a part of who I am. I don't need to go stealth".

There is rarely a happy ending like Katie's for transgender students.

Sadly too many cases end like Riley Moscatel. The young 17 year old teen, was facing depression and anxiety over the transition form Jessica to Riley.

Riley took his own life, by jumping in front of an oncoming train. “You see me as the happiest person in school, I’m a prisoner of my own body.” -Writes Riley in his suicide note.

Riley Moscatel R.I.P

Death of young people should be enough for schools to change their standards, and try to help push acceptance for all students.

In January 2013, California became one of the first states to sign a law, allowing transgender students the right to use the bathroom and play on the sports teams the sex of which they identify with. After the law was passed, instantly many tired to take it down but did not meet the requirements to do so.

Students all over California reported ecstatic over thee new law. “I’m so excited that California is making sure transgender students have a fair chance to graduate and succeed,” said Calen Valencia, an 18-year-old transgender student from Tulare, as quoted on a report on the law signing.

2 comments:

English 101-21November 28, 2014 at 12:28 PM
I think your argument is that current legislation makes it harder for transgender people to feel comfortable in schools and the workplace, and that laws should be passed to allow them more freedoms. Maybe you could add some examples of the emotional problems caused by forcing students to use restrooms for genders they don't identify with, etc. -Mary Grace Gormley
English 101-21November 28, 2014 at 2:58 PM
Overall, I think your blog is really written well. I would maybe try to fit in a story on someone that has been affected by these policies or a personal story you might have. - Raphael Marrillia

Sunday, November 30, 2014

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