New Policy for Transgender Students

This article is about the policy that was recently passed by the Massachusetts Department of Eduction in regards to transgender and gender non-conforming students. The policy states that students may use the restroom and locker rooms and play on the sports teams of the gender they identify themselves with regardless of physical anatomy. This gives the students the freedom to pick the sex that they wish to identify themselves with. Advocates for transgender youth are strongly behind the new policy and say it will help reduce confusion among the people around the transgender student and will make the environment more safe and welcoming for the child. While some people are arguing that it may cause non-transgender students discomfort the document states that this discomfort is not a reason to deny access to the transgender students. It even goes so far as saying that using the wrong gender pronoun than wanted by the student can be grounds for punishment.


This article is a great example of the sex, gender and sexuality issues we have been discussing in class. The issue with this document that was released by the Massachusetts Department of Education is that it only regards the concerns of the transgender students. It doesn't have an adequate solution for the non-transgender students and the discomfort they may feel with having a person of another sex in their restroom or locker room. Although it does recommend sex-neutral restrooms and changing areas, which would be the best solution for the situation, it says the discomfort the students may feel is not a reason to deny access of these facilities to transgender students. This is an issue because not only is there a problem for the transgender and gender non-conforming students with where they can feel accepted, there is also a issue with telling the majority of students they have to be okay with there being a boy in the girls locker room or vice versa.



Sarah Middleton
2/22/2013
3:13

http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2013/02/20/mass-department-education-issues-directive-trans-students