Following the announcement that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has withdrawn its opposition to the injunction of transgender bathroom rights, some 800 parents of transgender kids signed a letter addressed to President Donald Trump expressing their disappointment. These parents vow to continue the fight for equality for their children.
In May 2016, the Office of Civil Rights Division under DOJ issued a Dear Colleague order. It cited that schools across the U.S. must provide transgender students with proper bathroom facilities.
Eleven states opposed the directive and filed a lawsuit, prompting Judge Reed O'Connor of the federal court to issue an injunction blocking the order under Title IX. The new DOJ and the president will not block that injunction, hence the parents of transgender kids are concerned over the turn of events, Click On Detroit reports.
"As parents of transgender children, we were heartbroken and scared when we learned that your Administration's Department of Justice had dropped its objections to a nationwide hold on Obama era protections for transgender students," the letter stated, according to Advocate. It was sent to the president on Tuesday, Feb. 14, through the Parents for Transgender Equality Council.
"Like all parents, all we want is for our children to be healthy, safe, and loved," the letter also stated. The parents want Trump to make good his promise that he is for "all Americans." The parents said that their transgender kids enrich lives and open the minds of others and they contribute to the school community.
Transgender students experience bullying and discrimination in schools at an alarming rate. A 2013 National Schools Climate study on LGBT issues revealed that some 75 percent of transgender kids feel their school environment is not safe. Some 50 percent of bullying and discrimination incidents lead to suicide among these kids. Read the full letter of the parents of transgender students to President Trump here.
