Strong reactions to GOP school gender restroom bill

The ACLU of Wisconsin on October 8 announced its strong opposition to a bill being circulated in the Wisconsin Legislature that would require local schools to forbid transgender students from using restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identity. Reports indicate that the bill would also require Wisconsin’s Department of Justice to defend school districts from any claims that these restrictions on the rights of transgender students are discriminatory.

“In the almost 60 Wisconsin school districts that follow best practices, no incidents have been reported of a non-transgender student being harassed”, Brian Juchems, GSAFE Director of Education and Policy told WKOW.

While the Obama administration has ruled under Title IX, transgender students can use restrooms of the gender they identify with, Kremer said if that was legally challenged he would want a court to decide the issue.

Supporters of bathroom restrictions say it it’s meant to protect kids.

“This bill reinforces the societal norm in our schools that students born biologically male must not be allowed to enter facilities designated for biological females and vice versa”, Kremer wrote in a memo sent to lawmakers.

School officials and the LGBT community are concerned over a proposed state bill to address transgender students’ use of bathrooms in Wisconsin schools.

The ACLU, in a news release, said by singling out transgender youth for discriminatory treatment, the bill would subject vulnerable students to further isolation and risk of harm. Transgender young people already face vast harassment and bias when they are just trying to participate in their school environments as their authentic selves.

Parents of transgender students would be allowed to request special accommodations, but parents of other students would also be able to file a written complaint if they felt their child’s privacy was violated by a transgender student. Associated Press contributed to this article.

Spreitzer equates Kremer’s bill to separate but equal, saying this is why the current political climate does not supporting adding transgender men and women to state statute. The legislators introducing the bill say it’s about safety, but it’s actually about discrimination. “To put it plainly, no student of any gender should be made to feel uncomfortable or threatened in the most private places in our schools”.

According to statistics from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 41 percent of transgender and gender non-conforming adults attempt suicide. “Those are the two considerations we take into account”.