These actions will cost lives. As a transgender person and a retired military veteran I can’t be quiet about this.
EVERY child has the right to feel safe, welcomed, and valued, and schools have a duty to fulfill those obligations. Research shows that when trans and nonbinary youth face hostile school climates their mental health and academic achievement suffer. Every young person in America, including transgender and LGBTQ+ youth, should feel safe, supported, and able to concentrate on their academics at their schools without worrying about whether they can use the bathroom or talk to a teacher for support.
As a friend of mine put it:
[A]s a teacher, I know a lot of students who come to me with their preferred pronouns and say, “please don’t tell my parents.” I cannot imagine if my hands were tied legally, and I had to out those children…especially since they tell me I’m the only one they can trust…
Not allowing trans kids to express their gender identity will cost the lives of too many of these children. Trans people are already at higher risk for being bullied and for suicide. Forcing them back in the closet will cause irreparable harm.
Everyone should be allowed to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender. Everyone should have the correct pronouns used. Everyone should be called by their preferred name.
If you are a cis-man and someone constantly refuses to let you use the bathroom or call you “she” you’d realize how demoralizing and degrading this treatment is.
Outing trans kids will cost trans kids' lives. We live in a society that often is not accepting of people who are different, and this will lead to shunning, or worse, by either parents or unaccepting peers.
It is a singular choice of when to come out and should never, ever be in the hands of someone else.