Link---9th graders must deal with trans-gendered. I wrote that headline exactly the way I meant it. It sounds inflammatory, but if you hear the story, there aren't many ways to tell it or think about it. This is exactly what one freshman class is dealing with this year. I generally err on the side of protecting the feelings and/or rights of children so we don't end up with a generation of screwed-up adults leading our country.
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Laywers were brought in to back the medical experts up, saying that as this is a disorder (as opposed to a life choice...I dunno about you but I make a choice on which clothes to wear when I get up in the morning) the teacher cannot be fired. As the New York Examiner reported: "Under state and federal laws, a person with a transsexual disorder is considered disabled, is protected from discrimination and must be reasonably accommodated by an employer." Okay, that explains why the school district is wholeheartedly behind this. I get that. Still, you're asking 9th graders and their parents to say "Okie dokey" in a two-week period. Kids are depressed, frenetic and everything in between at that age.
