Anti-trans policies in Pa. schools don’t just impact LGBTQ kids

In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published clear data indicating that when schools are inclusive and supportive of LGBTQ students, all young people experience a greater sense of security at school and improved mental health outcomes.

Why, then, have several school districts across Pennsylvania — including Pennridge, Hempfield, Central Bucks, and Perkiomen — adopted anti-trans policies that mirror those seen in Alabama and Texas? These policies discriminate against transgender children in terms of facility access and sports participation, attempt to silence teachers, and ban numerous books.

Anti-trans policies don’t just impact LGBTQ kids, they also harm the educational environment for all our children at a time when the number of adolescents reporting poor mental health is increasing, especially following pandemic tragedies and disruptions.

Some LGBTQ young people in districts where there are unsupportive policies have even taken their own lives as a result of this harassment and discrimination, such as 15-year-old transgender girl Adreya Harden in 2021 in Luzerne County. Policies that single out trans kids, sanction the use of wrong names and pronouns for trans kids, and fail to protect young people from anti-LGBTQ bullying are particularly damaging.

To justify these assaults on our kids, extremists have spread misleading information claiming that our children are being exposed to inappropriate content or encouraged to identify as LGBTQ at school, even going so far as to claim schools are “indoctrinating” kids with LGBTQ content.

But these claims don’t hold up. Most school materials and discussions do not revolve around LGBTQ themes. The vast majority of books being banned from libraries were found by censorship watchdog group Pen America to feature diverse characters and themes, and to be age-appropriate, rather than explicit.

On the rare occasions when LGBTQ issues do come up at school, they serve to educate, not influence. Young people won’t suddenly become gay or trans because they read a book or participate in a class discussion.

If you’re a parent who’s not sure about these issues, the debate can be confusing. The extremists, after all, claim to be protecting young people just like the rest of us. But let’s look at the facts:

One side of this debate wants all of our kids to be safe at school, and the extremists want to enforce special discriminatory treatment against kids who are already vulnerable.

One side thinks schools are a place of learning where there should be a variety of ideas and stories, and the extremists are trying to ban books for featuring diversity.

One side is backed up by decades of research from child health and development experts, doctors, psychological researchers, and mental health experts who have published peer-reviewed studies in academic journals like Pediatrics, which show that youth who identify as transgender overwhelmingly still identify that way five years later — and that youth who are supported in their social transitions have significantly better mental health outcomes. The extremists are backed only by flimsy arguments and misleading information.

Which side really has the best interests of young people at heart?

» READ MORE: Moms for Liberty’s anti-LGBTQ stance misses the lessons of 250 years of history | Opinion

If you believe in following the facts, protecting all of our kids, and getting back to the real work of making Pennsylvania’s schools the best they can be, call, write, and email your state legislators and tell them you want them to vote for the upcoming safe and equal schools slate of bills: State Rep. Nancy Guenst’s nondiscrimination in schools proposal, State Rep. Ismail Smith-Wade-El’s inclusive facilities and athletics proposal, State Rep. Joseph C. Hohenstein’s inclusive curriculum proposal, State Rep. Paul Takac’s trans-inclusive school policy standards proposal, and State Rep. Paul Friel’s proposal to provide greater oversight into attempts to ban books from schools.

Pennsylvania doesn’t have to go down the road of discrimination and censorship. We can provide a safe, affirming school environment for every child. Our kids deserve as much.

Daye Pope is a gender justice advocate. She has been organizing LGBTQ communities across the country for over a decade to change narratives, oppose discriminatory laws, and fight for equality.