Equality Texas Commends the Efforts in Supporting K-12 Transgender Students

Equality Texas commends the President and U.S. Department of Education for supporting K-12 transgender students.

A Federal law under Title IX prohibits discrimination based on sex. The 4^th Circuit Court has also ruled that gender identity is included in sex-based discrimination. These guidelines, combined with others from the Department of Education in recent years, simply provide a roadmap for following the law so that schools are safe for all students.

“President Obama is standing up for professional educators who have already been working to ensure that every student has a safe environment in which to learn,” said Chuck Smith, CEO of Equality Texas. “These same teachers have successfully dealt with transgender students on campuses across the state for years. And, they do so on a case by case basis that ensures privacy and safety not only for a transgender student, but also for their classmates.”

These laws are put in place to provide the access to a safe learning environment for all students.

“Transgender youth are already at a greater risk of experiencing bullying, harassment, and even violence in schools, and North Carolina’s action exacerbates those risks by creating a hostile environment in one of the places they should feel the safest,” said Lou Weaver, Transgender Programs Coordinator for Equality Texas.

Equality Texas launched the TransVisible Project, an initiative dedicated to celebrating the stories of transgender Texans and their pursuit of fairness and equality. This past Mother’s Day, Equality Texas released a brand new video featuring the story of Ann, Jim, and Ben Elder, a family living in Friendswood, Texas. In the video, Ann and Jim, who have been married for 19 years, talk about raising their son Ben, who is transgender – meaning he was born a girl but always knew himself to be a boy.

Equality Texas is the largest statewide organization that focuses on equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Texans through political action, education, community organizing and collaboration.