Schools follow transgender law with few bumps
KAREN QUINCY LOBERG/THE STAR Julian Foley, 18, poses for his portrait last week at Century Academy in Thousand Oaks where he completes his high school studies. Foley attends the independent study school where he says it is not as hard for him to be a transgender student as it was in a traditional public high school.
Schools have made a relatively smooth transition to a law that says transgender students can use restrooms and locker rooms designated for the sex they identify with, educators say.
In other words, if a student was born physically male but identifies as female, she can use the girls' restrooms and locker room at her school. Transgender students also can play on teams made up of the sex they identify with.
The law, which went into effect almost two years ago, reflects changes in society, said Michael Babb, superintendent of the Ventura Unified School District.
"It's the law catching up with the people," Babb said.
Still, the law was "absolutely" needed, said Julian Foley, 18, a transgender student at Century Academy, an independent study school in the Conejo Valley Unified School District.
"Transgender students are going to use the bathroom they identify with no matter what," Foley said. "To have the law behind us, to support us, is so important because we have protection, and we have the rights we need."
But the transition locally hasn't been entirely smooth. Two members of the Conejo board, John Andersen and Mike Dunn, recently opposed a change in board policy that put the district in compliance with the law.
Andersen said he believes that most parents oppose the law, which he said potentially makes an already difficult time of life even more stressful.
"If I had a chance to rework this law, I would have facilities that would allow privacy for whoever wanted it," Andersen said. "But there will always be the student who wants to make a statement by using a facility that does not fit his or her anatomy. I truly believe that the public believes that boys and girls should not be showering together or sharing group restrooms."
Dunn said he believes that the government is interfering with parents' ability to instill their values in their children. And, like Dunn, he sees it as a violation of privacy rights.
But Foley said that private facilities are not a solution.
"They just do not get it," Foley said. "They don't understand that when you walk Schools follow transgender law with few bumps:
