Most of you are already back in school or will be starting school soon. I know it’s a really difficult and stressful time of the year, so here’s some information and tips.
1. Know Your Rights
http://www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/04/29/us-department-education-extends-protections-trans-students
The above article was published on April 29th, 2014. You have legal protection under the United States Department of Education. To quote the statement released by the department’s Office for Civil Rights,
“"Title IX’s sex discrimination prohibition extends to claims of discrimination based on gender identity or failure to conform to stereotypical notions of masculinity or femininity and OCR accepts such complaints for investigation.”“
http://www.takepart.com/article/2014/05/01/discrimination-against-transgender-students
The above article further explains your rights, and depending on which state you live in, you may have additional rights and protections granted to you.
http://hrc-assets.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com//files/assets/resources/school_non-discrimination_laws_062013.pdf
http://hrc-assets.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com//files/assets/resources/antibullying_5-2014.pdf
The above two PDFs cover which states have more extensive laws and ordinances on the protection of transgender students.
2. Tips for When You Go Back to School
-Let your teachers know beforehand what your preferred name is. The easiest way is to give them a note. I’ve seen many "templates” online to aid you in giving this note to your teacher, and I personally like this one:
“Dear [Teacher],
My name is [name] and I will be in your class this term. My legal name does not match my preferred name, and I do not want to be addressed by it. Please only use the name [name], and my correct pronouns, [pronouns]. Thank you, and I look forward to participating in your class this year!
From,
[Name]”
I personally like this because you don’t have to outright tell them you’re trans, which may be helpful for people who aren’t out or just want to leave that unsaid. Also, you can add a note about not referring to you with gendered terms, but the above form is the most basic one, and I either say this to them or slip them a note with this.
-If they call out your legal name ((especially if you’re not out)), do not acknowledge it. If anything, just look at your teacher with a very confused expression, or ask “Who is that?”. That should hopefully be enough to help them realize their error. If they purposefully misgender or refer to you by the incorrect name/pronouns, you should take it up with the principal, if you are in a public school.
-If bathrooms are a danger zone, find one that is unisex. There should be one in nurse’s office, or one reserved for faculty. For the former, it shouldn’t be an issue to use the one in the nurse’s office. If that’s not an option, I would recommend discussing the issue with the principal or another authority figure so that you can use a restroom that you are comfortable in. ((For example, my school doesn’t have a nurse’s office since it’s a private school, but there’s a small cafe on campus that has two single-stall restrooms, and I can just use the men’s room there.))
-If you are bullied or harassed for your gender identity, REPORT IT. If the administration won’t do anything about it, get the word out. These days people are more aware and more willing to stand against transphobia, at least slightly.
Stay safe, and have a great school year!
