Lumberton ISD suspends trans teacher after parents complain her gender identity is a 'distraction'
By Anna Waugh
Dallas Voice, Posted on 09 Apr 2014 at 12:47pm
http://www.dallasvoice.com/lumberton-isd-suspends-trans-teacher-parents-complain-gender-identity-distraction-10170767.html (http://www.dallasvoice.com/lumberton-isd-suspends-trans-teacher-parents-complain-gender-identity-distraction-10170767.html)
A substitute teacher was told this week she shouldn't return to the fifth grade class she was teaching in after parents complained about her being transgender.
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It's unclear how her gender identity became an issue. Klug said she's never discussed it in front of students and has always done her job well without any previous complaints.
"I have always conducted myself in a professional manner and would never discuss my gender identity in school," Klug said.
But some parents are now uncomfortable with her teaching their students.
Roger Beard, whose son was in the class Klug was subbing, said he thinks having a trans teacher to young students is "a very big distraction."
"If it does affect my child and his ability to learn or if it causes questions that I don't feel are appropriate then undoubtedly there's an issue with having somebody transgender, transsexual or transvestite, to be teaching that age group," Beard said.
My fifth grade grandson who is almost obnoxiously Cis (but I still love him) can be distracted by almost anything for a short time. My trans* status no longer distracts him because it is old, old news of two + years, and he gets his Christmas and birthday presents on schedule so it is just his life. The distraction IF ANY was over in 2 hours, unless Pop there kept it up and kept his hand in his pocket playing pool while talking about it. Send Pop to night school to learn Trans* 101 so he can discuss it with the kid without blushing and let the teacher go back to doing her work which I have heard she does extremely well.
According to this article she's been reinstated.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/texas-transgender-teacher-reinstated-article-1.1753541
"Those in support of Klug as a teacher outnumbered those against. "
The support that she got from the community was awesome. Having lived in Texas before it kind of surprised me that happened.
Thank god for that community support.
We need quality teachers and we need to treat them all with the respect they deserve.
I'm very happy with this resolution.
-Tegan