What a Week for Transgender Students!

The first week of December proved to be an important week for transgender students attending public schools and for their advocates.

President Obama and the U.S. Department of Education started December off right by issuing new guidelines instructing U.S. public schools to allow transgender students to attend single-sex classes consistent with their gender identity.

The guidelines, detailed in a 36-page memo, interpret the rights of transgender youth through the lens of Title IX, which bans sex-based discrimination in schools.

“All students, including transgender students and students who do not conform to sex stereotypes, are protected from sex-based discrimination under Title IX. Under Title IX, a recipient generally must treat transgender students consistent with their gender identity in all aspects of the planning, implementation, enrollment, operation, and evaluation of single-sex classes,” the memo states.

Also last week, both the Virginia and Minnesota State High School Leagues enacted policies that benefit transgender student athletes.

On Wednesday, December 3, the Virginia High School League, represented by a 25-member panel comprised of school principals and sports directors, voted unanimously to allow transgender students to participate as members of sports teams that correspond with their gender identity.

The next day, the Minnesota State High School League passed a policy 18-to-1, also stating that student athletes can choose their team.  

"Transphobia and a simple lack of education regarding the transgender community are not an excuse to discriminate against transgender players," 17-year-old transgender student Elliot Kunerth said at the Minnesota hearing. "Nor will they be valid excuses to treat someone differently. Whether or not a player happens to be transgender is no one else's concern."

Both policies have room to improve (transgender students in Virginia and Minnesota have to go through quite a bit of paperwork to be recognized as transgender and, thus, gain the right to participate on their chosen teams), but both are huge steps forward in making transgender students feel more welcomed in their schools.

Williams is the new media assistant for Teaching Tolerance.