Combating sexual discrimination is an ongoing fight, especially in cases involving transgenders. A recent argument between Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Fort Worth Superintendent Kent Scribner led hundreds of Texas residents to line up outside the meeting hall of the Fort Worth school board and join the debate about the "clarifications" made on existing gender guidelines, particularly allowing students to use the bathroom of their choice in respect to their gender identity.
The Controversial Bathroom Policy Issue
The guidelines in question allow transgender students to use their chosen bathrooms and lockers. If a person identifies herself as a girl, she can use the girl's comfort room and vice versa, regardless of her genitals. Moreso, any person should be addressed according to the gender they identify to. Staff members are not allowed to divulge information about students transitioning from one gender to another. Furthermore, the guidelines extends to those who are uncomfortable with the arrangement, providing the use of special single bathrooms to those who will request for it. Anyone who will not comply with these rules will face discipline.
According to Assistant Superintendent Michael Steinert as reported by Washington Post, these have been the guidelines since 2012 that aims to protect the safety of all students including transgenders. What Superintendent Kent Scribner did is to simply clarify and specify the policies in order to execute them. The clarifications were announced during a board meeting last month.
However, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was not pleased. In an older report from Washington Post, he says that Kent Scribner should have had a discussion with parents, board members, principals and community leaders before the new policies were implemented. For him, it is the parents' right to know what happens to their children while in school. Instead of focusing on "social-engineering" schemes, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick tells the media that Scribner should focus on improving education of the failing schools in his district. He is demanding the superintendent to resign if he will not remove the effectivity of the clarifications implemented.
"Campus safety should be of paramount concern for anyone in his position. Every parent, especially those of young girls should be outraged," Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said in a statement as reported by Washington Post.
In the public forum on the meeting hall, Kent Scribner refused to resign and said, "I respect the lieutenant governor's opinion, but I also respectfully disagree. The guidelines do not say, nor would we ever, indiscriminately send boys into girls' restrooms nor send girls into boys' restrooms."
Pro-Scribner vs. Pro-Patrick
For those who support the clarifications made by Superintendent Kent Scribner, they think these are needed to avoid discrimination, bullying and suicide of transgenders. Fort Worth music teacher Robert Byrd agrees that the guidelines assures everyone's safety.
"So many transgender kids have problems at home. School can be a safe place," he said in the public forum as reported by the Washington Post. "If you can prevent a suicide, that's good."
Another speaker, who has worked as a counselor for more than 500 transgender people, stresses the importance of understanding transgenders. "Gender is not determined by the genitals. It is determined by the brain," she said. "Being transgender is not a choice or an illness or a character flaw. For many it's a matter of life and death."
A transgender teacher, Jeannot Boucher, also speaks up in the public meeting as reported by Dallas News. "Parents come to me and say I have a transgender child where can we go to school?," he said. "And I answer them, 'You're safe in Fort Worth, and you're safe in Dallas."
But still, there are those from the opposing side who claim that the policy represents only the minority. It will put the safety of girls and boys at risk.
As reported by Dallas News, Republican Bo French said he conducted a survey among the student population of Fort Worth and he found out that 82% of the parents were not in favor of the new policy.
Others said that their views weren't even considered, "What we do know is that the nation is mesmerized by this issue. Many people obviously have strong opinions but you've taken away their voice," Nicole Hudgens of the conservative Texas Values group said.
"My kids are grown, but I probably wouldn't let them come to a public school if they had that policy. I think it opens doors to people who are not transgender. I think there would be more abuse of it than it would help transgender kids. And in this country it's almost like the minorities are getting more rights than the majority," a certain Jim DeLong said in the public meeting as per Washington Post.
North Carolina's New Bathroom Policy
The issue comes in the middle of the legal fight between the United States government and North Carolina. According to a report by CNN, the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against North Carolina's new bathroom policy that bans the use of bathrooms not intended for their biological sex. North Carolina officials back the policy that it secures the privacy of males and females, and not only attends to the interest of transgenders.
On the other hand, the U.S. government stands by its position that the policy violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act which prohibits discrimination based on sex, race, color, national origin and religion. North Carolina has also received condemnation from LGBT groups, transgender advocates and private entities, as reported by CNN.
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