When it comes to transgender students, it's time to prioritize safety over comfort
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It’s good to see that the Sacramento City Unified School District is moving forward with a new policy to integrate and protect transgender students. Assembly Bill 1266, passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor in the last session, went into effect January 1, even as some groups attempted to overturn the law.
We’re pleased that no matter what the ultimate outcome of various suits and a potential referendum, SCUSD moved promptly to ensure student safety at school.
It is, however, disheartening to see continued prejudice and misunderstanding about trans people making its way into the discussion.
Opponents of trans-inclusive policies always make a point of expressing their fears of loss of privacy in the bathroom and locker room. It even came up in a Sacramento City Council discussion in October 2013, when Councilman Allen Warren expressed his concerns about who could use what bathroom if the city updated its codes to include protection of gender-identity expression.
We don’t want to minimize the discomfort or concerns of any “cisgender” people—that means those who are comfortable in the gender (usually male or female) that they were assigned at birth, based on anatomy—with these changes. Nonetheless, it’s also worth pointing out that ensuring the rights and safety of transgender people should take priority over the comfort of others.
In general, transgender and gender-variant people are more likely to be the victims of crimes, assaults and bullying than cisgender people in precisely the same circumstances. Sometimes
We’re pleased that no matter what the ultimate outcome of various suits and a potential referendum, SCUSD moved promptly to ensure student safety at school.
It is, however, disheartening to see continued prejudice and misunderstanding about trans people making its way into the discussion.
Opponents of trans-inclusive policies always make a point of expressing their fears of loss of privacy in the bathroom and locker room. It even came up in a Sacramento City Council discussion in October 2013, when Councilman Allen Warren expressed his concerns about who could use what bathroom if the city updated its codes to include protection of gender-identity expression.
We don’t want to minimize the discomfort or concerns of any “cisgender” people—that means those who are comfortable in the gender (usually male or female) that they were assigned at birth, based on anatomy—with these changes. Nonetheless, it’s also worth pointing out that ensuring the rights and safety of transgender people should take priority over the comfort of others.
In general, transgender and gender-variant people are more likely to be the victims of crimes, assaults and bullying than cisgender people in precisely the same circumstances. Sometimes