GLSEN strives to assure that each member of every school community is valued and respected regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity/expression.
Schools must be safe and welcoming for all students, but bills like HB 1612 pose a threat to transgender youth. Join GLSEN Up to support LGBTQ students: www.glsen.org/glsenup
“These laws are unconstitutional and violate federal law and are incredibly harmful to the trans people in the state and harmful to the economy of the state,” [said Chase Strangio, staff attorney at the ACLU]. “It’s shocking that lawmakers continue to introduce them.”
When I was 15, I came out as transgender. That same year, I was kicked out of multiple men’s bathrooms because I didn’t pass as male. Now, I don’t go in any men’s bathroom without a partner to protect me, because I’m afraid of being yelled at or assaulted.
It’s no better when I visit home in Tennessee, a place that isn’t known to be trans-friendly (at home, for example, it is impossible to legally change the gender marker on my birth certificate for any reason at all). There, I’m so afraid to be trans that I dress femininely, use the women’s bathroom, let people misgender and deadname me, despite how much I hate to. I avoid appearing trans at all costs.
Tennessee is one of 12 states that have had so-called “bathroom bills” this year in the legislature. Currently proposed in states that range from Illinois to Kentucky, these bills would force transgender students to use the bathroom or locker room that aligns with their “biological sex” rather than their gender identity.
These bills often advance because of rhetoric that erroneously labels trans people as “predators.” In truth, we are in the bathroom only to use the bathroom, not to hurt anyone. It’s our own safety that’s at risk: the majority of transgender students report avoiding bathrooms at school because of feeling unsafe or uncomfortable, according to GLSEN’s most recent National School Climate Survey.
The bill in South Dakota, HB 1008, has advanced the furthest in the country. Today, the bill arrived on the Governor’s desk, and in no more than five days it becomes law unless he vetoes it. If it becomes law, it will exacerbate the danger we feel and set a dangerous precedent for the rest of the country. Please tell Governor Daugaard to veto HB 1008. Send him a tweet here.
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Before we get on with the post, it’s important to note that these are two groups of diverse people who are very unique in many ways! However, in light of the month, (and mainly due to the fact that a lot of the resources available online are for both groups), here is a compilation of resources for Asian and Pacific Islander LGBTQ+ people! Other masterposts can be found here (and don’t hesitate to add anything if you have resources to contribute)!
Kumu Hina (a documentary about the struggle to maintain Pacific Islander culture/values within modern Hawaiʻi, told through the lens of Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, a Native Hawaiian māhū [someone who embodies both a male and female spirit], and an honored and respected kumu [teacher], cultural practitioner, and community leader)
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