Lgbtq Should Be Allowed In Schools

The controversy over LGBTQ rights has been a largely discussed topic over the past years. With the growing acceptance of the LGBTQ community, many people have felt more comfortable coming out to the public about their gender and sexuality. While many are accepting of the LGBTQ community, some are opposed to it, whether that is due to religious beliefs or personal beliefs. This poses as a problem, largely for the transgender community due to the fact that many these people have influence on rights that are passed involving issues such as bathroom rights for transgender students. Transgendered students should be allowed access to locker rooms in schools based on the gender they identify with. Denying transgendered students the rights to use the bathroom contributes to the considerable amount of bullying they must endure each day. Being forced to use the bathroom of a gender they do not identify with can also trigger dysphoria and discomfort for the student.

Instances of transgender discrimination occur frequently around although many cases are dismissed or go unnoticed. In Gavin Grimm’s case, soon

after coming out as transgender to a seemingly accepting school, he received notice that the Virginia school district would be voting on whether or not they would be allowing his access to the men’s restroom. Upon hearing this news he stated that going back to using the female restroom would be both “emotionally scarring and discriminative”. The school has yet to make a decision on the issue.
Studies conducted by American Association of Suicidology or AAS show that transgender students are fifty times more likely to commit suicide than their cisgender peers. The high suicide rate present in transgender youth can be caused by a variety of factors including by discrimination, bullying, and victimization. By allowing transgender students access to the bathrooms they identify with, one could greatly lower the feelings of discrimination that the student could be feeling. Not only would doing so lessen the feelings of discrimination and isolation, but it is also morally the right thing to do, due to the fact that access to bathrooms is a basic human right.
Human rights are things that are widely believed to belong to every person regardless of who they are, including having access to a bathroom in public facilities such as schools. According to OSHA, it is required for businesses to provide bathrooms for all their workers. OSHA states, “All employees, including transgender employees, should have access to restrooms that correspond to their gender identity.”. OSHA later concludes their statement, saying that the use of restrooms is a right that everyone should have regardless of gender, race, or religion. Seeing as transgender people receive the same rights as cisgender people in a work environment, this idea should be promoted, if not required by all school districts.
Dysphoria is a feeling commonly known among the transgender community.

Generally dysphoria happens when one is dissatisfied or unease with their current life. According to a thread on a forum site run for and by the transgendered community titled Susan’s Place, many transgender people experience dysphoria when using public bathrooms. Therefore, a temporary solution for this issue is to provide schools and other public facilities with gender neutral bathrooms. As well as providing gender neutral bathrooms, societies views on gender need to change. While providing gender neutral bathrooms may be a solution to the current problem, it is only a temporary fix for a long term issue. Denying transgender people the right to use certain restrooms is still discrimination. For this reason, the only solution to this problem is to grant them access to the bathrooms they identify

with.
In the article, “A Middle Ground Can Be Found on Some Transgender Issues” by Pauline Park, the school district states that they will provide transgender students with separate bathrooms instead of allowing them access to the bathroom of their preferred gender. The school district then goes on to say that they do not want to make cisgender students uncomfortable with the presence of a transgender student in their bathrooms. While creating a separate bathroom is a step in the right direction, this is still an act of transphobia and promotes isolation and discrimination against transgender youth, which could consequently lead to increase in suicide rates and general dysphoria. To promote acceptance in schools, transgender students’ comfort should be valued at the same level as that of a cisgender students.
Gender identity should not be something that creates discord in modern day America.
Denying bathrooms to transgender students not only discriminates and isolates them from their peers, but it also contributes to stress factors, leading to dysphoria as well as other problems. Bathroom access is widely seen as a basic human right therefore denying transgender students the right to use the bathroom should be viewed as immoral and unjust. Times are changing and schools too, need to change, adapting and making accommodations for all their students including transgender youth.