On Feb. 22, President Donald Trump informed the nation that the federal government will no longer defend transgender children's Title IX rights. The new order takes away any guidance on Title IX protections as it relates to transgender children in schools. The federal backtrack on Title IX has real-life consequences for transgender children, and parents of those children are reacting to the reversal of federal protections openly and unapologetically.
As part of the leadership team of Trans-Youth Education Support, I've been communicating with other parents of transgender children since news of the decision broke. It's important to acknowledge the privilege this particular group of parents have. First, most of us are located in Colorado, a state with solid transgender rights protections that existed before President Obama's original guidance. Second, many of us are able to activate and advocate on behalf of our children whose own young communities "get it." Though it's a risk to do so in this political climate, we are relatively sure that, given the aforementioned privileges, we'll be safe in doing so. Still, that does little to quell the deep, nauseating anxiety for our children, and for all the other families who can't use their voices. That does nothing to help all the children in states that demonize them like Texas, North Carolina, and Florida (among others) whose caregivers can't just up and move.
When legislators say they won't protect a traditionally marginalized group's civil rights, they give a pass to all those who would spew hatred. As parents of transgender kids, the following comments reveal the strength of parental love's ability to move mountains (or mountains of bigoted hate, in this case):
Sarah, Nevada
Sarah* is the parent of a elementary student.
Honestly, my heart sank and my stomach rolled when I heard the news. We are lucky that we live in a state that has protections for gender identity already on the books and my child's school has been supportive, but there are so many kids and families that are not in our position. As a mom, I am terrified for those kids. I want to sweep them all up and tell them they are beautiful and perfect and strong and their families (not just biological) are going to fight like hell to make sure they are safe and treated equally.
The love of a parent doesn't just move mountains, it shifts galaxies.
Remi, Texas
Remi is the parent of an elementary student.
I'm extremely disappointed but not surprised that the Trump administration did this. It's going to make things so much harder for my kid, especially if the schools here completely get rid of any inclusiveness they had before or our governor decides to make it illegal for schools to be inclusive to transgender kids.
My child should be able to go to school and not have to worry about the bathroom. Cisgender kids don't have to, so transgender kids shouldn't either.
Reaca, Colorado
Courtesy of the individual featured
Reaca is parent to 7 year old.
The reality is that even though some of us live in states that protect our children, none of the parents I spoke to are sure their children are safe in Trump's America. I am one of those parents. But I will not stand down. I will not shut up. Parents fighting for the rights of their children to exist in public spaces will never give in to exhaustion. We will never be shamed about our passion for what opponents derisively call "identity politics."
The integrity and compassion within this parent community is hard to ignore. All of these parents are committed to continuing the fight for rights and against hate for all transgender children (and adults) throughout our country. This roll back changes only the amount of work we have left to do.
The love of a parent doesn't just move mountains, it shifts galaxies.