Legislative attacks on Ky transgender, queer students undermine basic human decency.

While students and teachers in Western Kentucky struggle to put their lives back together in the wake of a disastrous tornado and while students and teachers across the state are attempting to recover from two years of disruption prompted by a global pandemic, some in Kentucky’s General Assembly are focusing on a different education crisis altogether. House Bill 253 bans gender affirming healthcare to any person under 18. House Bills 18 and 14 stifle discussion of gender diversity, among other issues, in the classroom. And finally, there’s House Bill 23 and Senate Bill 83, which prohibit transgender girls from participating in female athletics. It all begs the question: In a time of so much strife for Kentucky’s students, why are Kentucky’s legislators targeting our most vulnerable young people for discrimination?

It’s not as though Kentucky’s LGBTQ+ students aren’t already under siege. According to a 2019 GLSEN snapshot of Kentucky, LGBTQ+ students report being harassed on the basis of their sexual orientation or gender identity at school, with 73% experiencing verbal harassment and 31% experiencing physical attacks. Administrators can help address these issues, but our own research suggests there is not a firm commitment to doing so. In our 2021 student-led school climate audits conducted among four geographically diverse middle and high schools, 23% of the 1,939 students who responded reported feeling that their school communities were unsupportive of queer students, and another 32% felt unsure about whether their schools were. This lack of inclusivity in schools compounds existing vulnerabilities of LGBTQ+ students who make up an estimated 40% of youth experiencing homelessness and are much more likely to struggle with mental health issues like depression and thoughts of suicide.

As LGBTQ+ students ourselves, we have experienced the effects of this hostility firsthand. In November, one of us hung posters around their school for Transgender Awareness Month. Within a week, most were ripped down or vandalized by other students. It is not uncommon to hear derogatory terms directed towards the LGBTQ+ community when walking through halls and yet, all too often, administrators sweep the bullying, discrimination, and crude language we report under the rug.

So many queer students are beyond exhausted from experiencing this hatred every day of our lives. We and our LGBTQ+ peers want to feel safe using the restroom; we want to feel safe walking through the halls; and, we want to feel equal. Rather than focusing on taking away opportunities for trangender youth, our legislature should focus on providing the support we so desperately need.

Proponents of HB 253, HB 18, HB 14, SB 83, and similar legislation argue that targeting queer youth protects others from exposure to people whose experiences don’t align with their values. But by all accounts, we’re still fighting to exist openly as trans and queer youth, to receive equal educations and opportunities for fulfilling lives. Why then is it acceptable to sacrifice our safety in schools in order to “protect” others? How does that align with anyone’s values of decency?

Even the legislators writing these bills understand that queer youth are not actual threats. Sen. Robby Mills, author of SB 83, says he is unaware of trans youth receiving pushback for competing in state athletic tournaments, but that his bill is “thinking ahead.”

The bill, like most anti-trans and anti-queer ones, is a harmful distraction, promoting and justifying state-sanctioned bigotry instead of addressing the real issues in Kentucky’s schools.

Our legislature must invest its time and energy to build a safer school climate for all students. These environments are possible, as some of us have seen for ourselves. But they require an intentional turn towards inclusivity, including open conversations about students’ different identities and the effects of those identities on their lived experiences, policies that affirm the rights of transgender and queer students in schools, and commitments to listening to the voices of LGBTQ+ students in school climate discussions.

It’s only with thoughtful steps towards equity for all students in our schools, including those who aren’t part of the dominant culture, that we can realize a climate where all students can unapologetically be themselves—and feel supported while doing so. This is what Kentucky youth deserve. This is what we deserve.

Malley Taylor is a sophomore at Rowan County High School. Sara Falluji is a junior at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. Krasimir Staykov is a first year student at University of Louisville. All are members of the Kentucky Student Voice Team, comprising young people co-creating more just, democratic Kentucky schools and communities as education research, policy, and advocacy partners.

This story was originally published February 16, 2022 at 11:19 AM.