Following the US Department of Justice’s decision to begin rolling back protections for transgender students this week, 780 parents of trans children have written in protest to President Trump.
“As parents of transgender children, we were heartbroken and scared when we learned that your Administration’s Department of Justice had dropped its objections to a nationwide hold on Obama era protections for transgender students,” the letter reads.
“All students deserve equal access to a safe, welcoming school and a high quality education no matter who they are and where they live.”
The signatories—who together represented nearly every US state— warned of the serious impact the Department of Justice’s move would have on transgender students.
“Many of us find ourselves in school districts or states that are considering or have already adopted policies that single out transgender students for discrimination. We know the devastating impacts these policies can have. 75 per cent of transgender young people report feeling unsafe in school.”
The letter continues: “No young person should wake up in the morning fearful of the school day ahead.
“When this guidance was issued last year, it provided our families —and other families like our own across the country — with the knowledge and security that our government was determined to protect our children from bullying and discrimination. Please do not take that away from us.”
This week, Attorney General Jeff Sessions withdrew the request to limit a federal judge’s injunction that moved to block Obama’s original guidelines.
"After being on the job for less than 48 hours, Attorney General Jeff Sessions has signaled his intent to undermine the equal dignity of transgender students," said Griffin.
"Transgender students are entitled to the full protection of the United States Constitution and our federal non-discrimination laws."
