It’s a historic day for transgender students and a monumental moment for our movement for equality. Today the Obama Administration’s Department of Education (DOE) and Department of Justice (DOJ) signed a groundbreaking letter that was sent to public schools directing them to embrace transgender students by allowing them to participate fully and use the facilities that match the gender they live every day. Accompanying the letter is a 25-page guide of best practices to ensure all students, including transgender students, have a fair opportunity to succeed in school.
Please click here to join Equality Federation in thanking the Obama Administration for standing with our transgender youth and for its longstanding commitment to eradicating discrimination for all Americans.
It is no secret that transgender students face high rates of exclusion and bullying. Fifty-nine percent of trans students have been denied access to restrooms consistent with their gender identities. I believe that this guidance will set the foundation for the kind of systemic change we need in order to create welcoming schools for all our students.
Many of you reading this have, in the face of adversity, shared stories about your lived experience of being transgender or supporting a transgender friend or family member. You have signed petitions, lobbied your legislators, or written letters to the editor. Every small action builds the movement and today we’ve seen what our collective actions can do.
Moments like these would not be possible without the leadership of our state-based equality organizations, national partners, funders, and advocates like you.
