Under a new approved unanimous rule by the State Board of Education (SBOE), Wednesday, county school boards and charter schools will have to follow new requirements for notifying parents regarding the policies which involve access to bathrooms and locker rooms, per BBC World Service. This state law is known as the Parent's Bill of Rights or the Bathroom Bill.
The bill was passed in 2021, which aimed at putting into law guidelines for what families are entitled to know regarding children's education and healthcare. Forty individuals who signed up to speak about the rule on Wednesday were sharply divided, with some characterizing it as a way to provide transparency and others describing it as being potentially harmful to LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) students. The rule requires local education officials to follow steps included in the law to inform parents about district policies.
A part of the rule said that if a certain school board or charter-school governing board has a procedure that allows for the separation of bathrooms or locker rooms based on certain criteria other than biological sex at birth, the policy must be posted on the district's website or charter school's website and must be sent by mail to student residences to inform parents entirely.
How bathroom bill appears to be anti-trans
According to Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) research, 60 percent of transgender students report being prohibited from using the locker room that aligns with gender identity, and 76 percent of transgender students felt unsafe at school due to their gender, particularly trans girls and women. Those individuals who are part of the LGBTQ community are at high risk of experiencing violence throughout their lives.
Although such bills are primarily designed to ensure "student safety," they stigmatize transgender students, putting them in danger. Hence, the bill has consequences, mainly discrimination, lower Grade Point Average or GPA, and educational aspirations. Students who experience such discrimination are also more likely to skip or drop their studies.
Policies such as bathroom bills are considered discriminatory as they prohibit LGBTQ students from using their preferred bathroom or restroom. A study entitled "Gender Minority Social Stress in Adolescence: Disparities in Adolescent Bullying and Substance Use by Gender Identity" shows that due to their experience, transgender students are more likely to abuse drugs than the general population.
GLSEN reported that implementing bills like this is inconsiderate and time-consuming for schools and institutions.
Safe access to restrooms is a must
Access to restrooms according to gender identity has sparked a controversy that made transgender individuals feel embarrassed and excluded from the said spaces. Safe access to restrooms is essential and a must, as it will be beneficial for transgender individuals and other people who only want peace and inclusion.
The lack of access of the transgender population to restrooms negatively impacts the physical and mental health of the population. Due to the bathroom bill, many transgender individuals are afraid to go to any toilet as they will be exposed to embarrassment and violence, per Frontiers in Sociology.
Related Article : LGBTQ Bill on Child Abuse Creates Uproar in Virginia and Beyond
