People Are Tweeting #ProtectTransKids After President Trump's Shocking Reversal of Protections Policy
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump reversed a historic policy that directed public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom of their choice. The guideline was originally passed by former President Barack Obama in 2016.
Since May of 2016, public schools were instructed by Obama to let transgender students use the bathrooms matching their chosen gender identity. If a school chose not to comply with the order, Obama threatened to withhold federal funding.
The policy was viewed as a major success and triumph for the transgender and entire LGBT community. People hailed the step as victory for their civil rights.
In the reversal signed by Trump, the Administration said that this decision is best left up to the states and public schools.
Once the rescinding of the law was announced, the hashtag #protecttranskids was created
Many pointed out that this law reversal directly contradicts the president's campaign platform to protect LGBT rights
This policy will make transgender youth feel unprotected
Several states and school districts have already said that this law reversal will not change the way they protect their transgender students
“I will ensure … protections for transgender and gender non-conforming students are enforced fairly and vigorously,” Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson said.
Superintendent Michelle King of the Los Angeles School District also said the California Education Code will continue to “permit pupils to use facilities consistent with one’s identity.”
“Transgender students,” she said in a statement, “will remain protected regardless of the new directive by the Trump administration pertaining to access to restrooms and locker rooms.”“Transgender students will still be protected by Title IX and its implementing regulations, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex,” said Amy Spitalnick, a spokesperson for New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas said in a statement that his office “will aggressively enforce the rule of law to protect the health, safety, and welfare of New Mexicans; and no government entities, including schools, should discriminate against any individual.”
A Seattle Public Schools spokesperson said the district would continue to enforce its nondiscrimination policy.