I'm a bit reluctant to post about this, because I realize drawing even more attention to the article just feeds the media beast, but then I made the mistake of reading the often hateful and transphobic comments on the article, and knew I had to speak up.
Essentially, a local high school, upon the enrollment of two transgender students, changed their policy to allow students to use the restroom of the gender they identify as--at the beginning of the year, they originally had to use the restroom in the nurse's office.
This was met with no hoopla, and no controversy. Which is kind of remarkable, given the fact that this is a school in Kansas we're talking about. Until, that is... more after the fold.
A "concerned parent" contacted KCTV-5 News, complaining that parents weren't "warned" about this district change in policy, and worried that, as the article is quick to point out, "now their student will be in a restroom with the opposite sex."
This is truly irresponsible reporting. "Now their student will be in a restroom with the opposite sex" is a completely incorrect, downright irresponsible assessment of the reality of life as a transgender person. I'm not transgender. I don't pretend to know precisely how difficult life is as a transgender person in this screwed-up society that reacts to the issue with fear and violence entirely too often. But I do know that a local news outlet should have the sensitivity not to treat a non-news story as "controversy," especially when such young lives are involved.
The student who came forward in the story is in the 9th grade. It is wonderful, first that she is in a family environment that supports her and her identity, and second that the school district accommodated her and the other, unnamed student, without controversy.
But KCTV-5 invited controversy into the matter with their incendiary article. Interestingly, some of her classmates have chimed in, and their responses give me hope for our future. One wrote, "As a senior at Olathe East and someone who was just in class with Lee two hours ago I can tell you that high school students are a lot more accepting than a lot of these helicopter parents."
That doesn't change the overwhelmingly negative/ignorant/transphobic comments that have also accompanied the article.
My daughter is starting high school this year, in the same district (but a different school). I, for one, am glad that if she has transgender classmates, they will be able to use the restroom according to their gender identity. I do not have a problem with her using a restroom with a transgender student. I'm not sure what these "concerned parents" are afraid of. I'm not sure why KCTV-5 felt the need to say "now their student will be in a restroom with the opposite sex."
In the end, we should applaud the Olathe School District for changing policy in the name of progress. That happens entirely too infrequently in Kansas.
Shame on KCTV-5 for fueling the hate mongers.
(Republished to remove outdated "Tip Jar" comment. Oops! It's been a while since I've posted on here.)