Pronouns are Not Politics
On Sept. 6, Chino Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) faced a lawsuit over their newly-implemented policy, which states that parents are required to be notified when their children identify as a different gender than the one listed on their paperwork. The judge overseeing the case halted this policy while the lawsuit is still ongoing, sparking a major debate surrounding transgender rights and parental involvement in education. While there are benefits to parents being involved, there is no good that can come from outing someone’s gender identity before they are ready, as this can pose a threat to the child’s safety and violate their rights by disclosing private information.
Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is behind the lawsuit, argues that the school board’s policy is essentially outing transgender students to their parents, opposing privacy rights and potentially endangering them. Children often withhold their identity when they know their parents are not accepting of the LGBTQ+ community and by releasing this information without the child’s consent, increased victimization could result. Furthermore, this policy contradicts the fundamental idea that schools should be safe and welcoming for all students.
“The parents asking [for] their kids be outed to them by their teachers are [likely] unaware of the high suicide rates among the LGBTQ+ community,” Spanish 3 Honors, AVID 12 teacher and Gender Sexuality Alliance (GSA) club adviser Mariana Donahoe said. “If their children are not sharing their sexual orientation or gender identity, they need to figure it out as a family and not put it on teachers.”
Despite the judge’s ruling, parents state that they have a right to be involved with their children’s lives. They claim their drive to have this active role is due to concern for their child’s well-being, especially with matters surrounding gender and sexual orientation. Many parents believe staying informed is in their child’s best interest as they are crucial in providing the support and guidance needed for development. Some CVUSD parents have expressed concerns about their child’s experiences, such as a mother to an 11-year-old daughter who socially transitioned to a boy and later decided to re-identify as a girl (AP News). This mother and other parents think there are societal pressures on their children, which leads them to question whether their child’s decisions are genuine or if they are being influenced by their surroundings. However, experimenting with one’s gender is not an unnatural thing. Gender identity can exist on a spectrum and can change over time as one discovers more about themselves. Kids feel safer experimenting in different environments such as school, which is intended to be a secure place. Just one month before the policy, though, there was a ban on pride flags in classrooms, making more children feel unwelcomed (Daily Bulletin).
“I have friends who say to me if [they] come out as gay or trans, [they] will be kicked out of [their] family,” senior and president of the GSA club Max Conrad said. “[By enacting this policy,] it opens a whole world of problems which could lead to academic failure [and] homelessness.”
The policy does more harm than good, especially to trans students who may not be ready to come out. Often, experimentation is done outside of home, giving kids time to figure themselves out before adult involvement, which this policy prevents. It is also now making its way around other districts, namely several Christian middle schools in Escondido. The teachers at the schools claim that it goes against their freedom of speech not to tell parents if their child transitions. There also has been talk among parents in the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District about trying to implement a similar policy.
“I do not think [the policy will affect our students because] I have faith in our district,” junior Neekta Baghoolizadeh said. “If it comes [down to it], I know that myself and many others would be very outspoken, and do our best to get our voices heard on such a clearly unjust policy. [It would likely be similar to] the SavePVSchools movement [where] it was vastly shut down when a group was upset that a [fifth grade] class read a book with a transgender character. A group of GSA members and [supporters] went to the board meeting and massively outshone the original group. So, I am confident our school district will handle these topics with the kindness [the LGBTQ+ community] deserves.”
