California
passed into legislation a unique bill that affects all children in schools across the state because it forces
public schools to allow gender-questioning youth to choose
whether they would like to use the boys or girls restrooms and locker
rooms based on their felt "gender identity."
Now signed by the governor, AB 1266 also lets
students who believe they are the opposite sex participate in
sex-segregated activities, including sports teams. The new law would
apply to students in elementary, middle and high school.
This legislation leaves all other children without recourse. While
states have a duty to protect children from harm, it seems that
California's legislators are disregarding the safety and privacy of the majority of
children in exchange for accommodating an extremely
small segment of children. Among the legislation's concerns is also
the disregard for the privacy of students who are not transgender or
gender-questioning. General law-making considers notions that are based
on principle, rather than on exception. Making
law based on exceptional circumstances to the general rule never proves
to be wise lawmaking, and in this case, it may be harmful to most
children. You can read more on this issue
here.
Furthermore, last week
a particular example of the effects of this new legislation became
apparent. Teen girls are very negatively affected. Journalist Lori
Arnold writes this summary on the event:
The hot topic in recent weeks at Colorado’s Florence High School hasn’t been about calculus, history, English, college admissions or who the Huskies would face on their Friday night football games. Instead, the big news has centered on a transgendered student who, born male but perceiving himself as female, has been using the girls’ bathroom. The situation prompted a parental complaint to administrators, who responded that the boy’s rights as a transgendered student trump the privacy concerns of his peers. “This is a nightmare scenario for the teenage girls—some of them freshmen—and their parents at this school,” said Matthew McReynolds, a staff attorney with Sacramento-based Pacific Justice Institute (PJI). After being contacted by a Florence High School parent, McReynolds sent a letter to Principal Brian Schipper and Superintendent Rhonda Vendetti outlining the privacy rights of students. “This is exactly the kind of horror story we have been warning would accompany the push for radical transgender rights in schools, and it is the type of situation that LGBT activists have been insisting would not happen.” McReynolds said officials at the school, located near Pueblo, warned the complaining students they could be removed from sports teams or be charged with hate crimes if they persisted in voicing their opposition to the policy.
This article correctly points out that, "While states have a duty to protect children from harm, it seems that California's legislators are disregarding the safety and privacy of the majority of children in exchange for accommodating an extremely small segment of children. Among the legislation's concerns is also the disregard for the privacy of students who are not transgender or gender-questioning." In these cases there should be some sort of balancing of interests that is done as both students rights could potentially be infringed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the above comment. I think the legislation protected a small group while leaving a much larger group of individuals unprotected from the potential privacy issues. It's also concerning that this is extended all the way to elementary children. It seems like children who are still learning and adapting are being exposed to some rather controversial and murky areas of the law. It's sad that it can begin at such a young age.
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