4% of American youth attempt suicide, whereas 51% of people (grades K-12) who express a transgender identity or gender non-conformity reported having attempted suicide. That is almost 13 times higher than the average American. Injustices towards the transgender community, backed by the majority of school boards, lead to a high mortality rate within the transgender community, and an overall divided nation with dejected youth. This negative stigma can be traced to the media, and the continued fear of change and of people who differ from the majority. The opposition is winning, claiming that students are not old enough to know they are transgender and that the cisgender students will be put into danger. Instead of shaming the transgender community, schools should promote tolerance, and lead by example by showing that all students deserve to feel safe and comfortable, no matter who they are.
Every day, students are denied access to their gender-appropriate facilities. Denying students access to…show more content… Stopping transgender students from using their gender-appropriate restrooms is only one task on his to-do list. Donnelly claims that he fights against transgender rights because it is discrimination against the cisgender students, who would be put in danger. Donnelly fears that a cisgender pervert will pretend to be transgender and gain access to otherwise restricted bathrooms at his son's’ school. At one of his speeches in California, the legislator presented his problem, “My boys, who went back to the public school after many years away, will not be returning to where they have the right to be ogled.” There is no true basis for this fear, especially in Tim Donnelly’s case, seeing as how there has been no reported incidents of the sort at his son’s school. But if it helps him sleep at night, I am sure students would agree to talk to their school’s psychologist and principal to be formally diagnosed with gender
