The Department of Education’s Common-Sense Approach to Transgender Inclusion

[stephaniec]

The Department of Education's Common-Sense Approach to Transgender Inclusion

http://www.slate.com/blogs/outward/2015/11/04/transgender_high_school_students_a_curtain_can_make_a_difference.html

Slate/By Scott Skinner-Thompson  11/04/2015

"In a week when Houston voters repealed an anti-discrimination ordinance in response to uninformed, fearful campaign portrayals about trans people using public restrooms, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights outlined a humane, common-sense approach for resolving whether transgender students should be permitted full access to educational opportunities—including the chance to participate fully in school athletic programs. In response to a complaint on behalf of a transgender high-school girl in Illinois, the OCR's investigation concluded that it was impermissible under Title IX for the girl to be segregated into separate changing facilities and denied access to the girls' locker rooms."

[suzifrommd]

I really like the point of view in this article. I agree 100%. I was going to write a column about this topic, but reading this, I don't think I'd having anything to add.

[Peep]

I wish they'd spend as much time talking about the fact that men can be assaulted by men and women by women as they do fear mongering about trans women.

Also none of these articles seem to mention what they would do with trans men/ boys.

[cindianna_jones]

I think that many schools already provide privacy curtains for girls anyway.

[Asche]

I wish they'd provided privacy curtains (and single-stall showers) in the (boys') locker rooms I was forced to use as a child.  I have always hated being seen naked, not to mention that locker rooms were a favorite place for the other boys to harrass me for being not enough like everybody else, or what everybody was supposed to be like.  That's on top of how gross they felt and smelled.

I still hate locker rooms.

[Jill F]

I wish they'd provided privacy curtains (and single-stall showers) in the (boys') locker rooms I was forced to use as a child.  I have always hated being seen naked, not to mention that locker rooms were a favorite place for the other boys to harrass me for being not enough like everybody else, or what everybody was supposed to be like.  That's on top of how gross they felt and smelled.

I still hate locker rooms.

^This^

Why on earth do we still have kids all stripping naked together in school?  There is no reason for a child to be compelled to be naked in front of another child, and especially adults.   My junior high school had one coach who insisted every boy strip naked for him every day without fail.   Apparently this was OK? 

Oh, and my favorite experience in junior high school?  Having the cheapo lock on my locker broken and getting all of my clothes stolen and strewn all over the school.  It was sure a lot of fun running around with a towel trying to find my clothes while everyone laughed.  I got detention, but the perps never got in any trouble.  In retrospect, I should have done something to get me expelled from that school.