Photo courtesy of Reuters.
United States agrees on gender neutral restrooms
0
0
Because of guidelines issued by the Obama administration with agreements between the United States Department of Education and Justice, transgender students do not have to be self conscious of the restroom they enter.
The Obama administration issued guidelines across the country to public schools on May 13, requiring schools to have a non-discriminatory restroom. If a public school does not comply, then lawsuits may take place, along with the loss of federal funding.
According to the New York Times, “No student should ever have to go through the experience of feeling unwelcome at school or on a college campus,” secretary of the Department of Education John B. King Jr., said in a statement.
This new issue brings light to the transgender community and opens a new window to criticism. Feedback on the issue has been swarming the nation, mainly in Texas and North Carolina and on social media.
“I think many people are still so ignorant when it comes to all issues surrounding gender. Gender roles are so entrenched in our society that anyone who questions them or forces us to re-examine our adherence to them is immediately the target of fear-mongering and scapegoating,” english teacher Catharine Burkhart said. “There are trans people all around us and we don’t even know they are trans. This bathroom thing is not an issue.”
English teacher Georgia Daniels stated her opinions on the issue.
“I am totally for making our transgender students feel safe. My only child is transgender, so this is an issue of some importance to me,” Daniels said.
Some authorities debated about the guidelines with North Carolina’s reactions and actions. The state went as far as to accusing the issue “violating the Civil Right’s act” by sex discrimination.
Both the Justice Department and North Carolina sued each other back and forth on this issue. And Texas calls out the government saying, “We will not be blackmailed” with the loss of federal funding if they do not comply with the guidelines.
