This year has been a year of great progress for the transgender community. Caitlyn Jenner coming out has not only brought positive light to the community, but has also opened the floodgates to the conversation on gender identity and how we, as a society, can be more accommodating for people who fall in different places along the gender spectrum.
Education is key when it comes to understanding and conquering equality in transgender issues. All too often, we fear things that we are not familiar with, and this fear can manifest itself in hateful or discriminatory legislature. Unfortunately, this is what’s happening in the Wisconsin Senate. State Sen. Stephen Nass, R-Whitewater, and Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum, are spearheading a bill that would force transgender individuals to use bathroom or locker room that aligns with their biological sex.
If this bill were to be voted into law, it would be taking a huge step backward in equality for the transgender community. In recent years, many schools and other public facilities have taken great leaps and bounds to help accommodate transgender individuals. They have done so by creating special gender neutral bathrooms or putting policies in place that allow people to choose the bathroom they prefer without fear of retaliation.
Lawmakers claim that the bill is meant to preserve the safety of all students, protecting their privacy and avoiding potential voyeurism. However, the only students at risk of having their safety violated are transgender students. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, 82 percent of transgender students report that they do not feel safe at school, and 44 percent report that they have been physically abused on school property. Transgender students are also reported to have extremely higher levels of depression and suicide rates than their peers. Students should not have to fear physical or emotional harm when they are at school, and that is exactly what will happen if this bill is put into effect.
If transgender students were forced to use bathrooms that aligned with their biological sex, they would not only feel massively out of place but would also be at increased risk for bullying by their peers. Lawmakers are supposed to ensure the safety and well-being of the people in their districts, but this law would instead give people reason to treat transgender individuals with inferiority, and would justify the bully culture that many transgender students are too familiar with. Nobody should be in the situation where they fear for their mental or physical safety, let alone at school.
This bill would also negate the hard work that many school districts within the state have done to make transgender students feel safe on campus. The Madison Metropolitan School District has enacted a policy where transgender students can use the bathroom or locker room of their choice. State lawmakers should be using the Madison school district’s progressive approach as a template for other school districts within the state, showing them how to foster an inclusive and safe environment for all students, regardless of their gender identity. However, certain politicians want to instead create an environment full of hostility and discrimination. As someone living in the state of Wisconsin, I would be ashamed if this state’s lawmakers put such a discriminatory bill into law.
Samantha is a freshman majoring in journalism and communication arts. How do you feel about the bill that was just proposed to Wisconsin legislature? Do you agree with Samantha? Please send all comments to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
