Dominican sisters walk out of class over LGBT Day of Silence – Catholic World Report catholicworldreport.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from catholicworldreport.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Anti-transgender legislation reignites classroom hardships for trans students
• 14 min read
Classroom hardships amid wave of anti-trans laws
A record number of anti-transgender bills have been introduced in state legislatures in 2021, according to the Human Rights Campaign.Eric Gay/AP
Esmée Silverman, an openly transgender senior in Massachusetts, says her high school experience had a lot of its ups and downs . mostly downs.
Silverman, 19, came out to her close friends and family in her freshman year amid the Trump administration s rollback of protections for the transgender community. Then-President Donald Trump rescinded protections that allowed transgender students to use restrooms that matched their gender identity and placed a ban on transgender troops in the military. She said these laws furthered anti-trans sentiment among her peers, and the pressures from the national political climate have made life as a young transgender teen harder.
Readers respond: Better LGBT sex education is needed oregonlive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from oregonlive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
December 21, 2020
Safe space: Teacher of the Year Owen Bondono strives to help marginalized students feel understood. // Photograph courtesy of Owen Bondono
Owen Bondono wishes there had been a teacher like him when he was in high school and struggling to make sense of who he was. Bisexual and transgender, Bondono faced unique challenges while growing up female in Shelby Township.
“When I decided to become a teacher, I knew I wanted to be the kind the high school me needed a role model LBGTQ students can look up to,” he says. “Being ‘out’ with my students helps a great deal because I can show them they can overcome anything they are facing and be successful. … My classroom is a safe environment where students can be themselves.”
Two information items on the Loudoun County School Boardâs Tuesday meeting agenda involved verbal conduct in Loudoun County Public Schools facilities, particularly use of gender pronouns and name-calling, though discussion of both items was postponed due to time constraints.
On Dec. 3, the boardâs Equity Committee voted unanimously to propose changes to LCPS Policy 1040, âEqual Opportunity for Equitable, Safe and Inclusive Environment,â which would require school staff to address students by their chosen gender pronouns â either at an adult studentâs own request, or that of a minorâs parent or guardian.
In the case of minors, the Equity Committee proposed school principals or designees should collaborate with the schoolâs Unified Mental Health Team to âdevelop a plan to support the studentâs needs related to gender expression requests,â according to board documents.