Rhode Island provides extensive guidance on providing safe and supportive classroom environments for transgender and non-conforming students across elementary and secondary education. The aim of this guidance is to reduce stigmatization and discrimination towards these individuals and to foster a successful educational environment. Through enactments of Title IX (1972) and the Civil Rights Act (1964), educators are provided with information needed to respond to sex-based harassment, provide privacy to students related to transgender status, and to treat students consistent with their gender identity, regardless of what they are indicated as in their school record.
These terms help educators accurately identify specific circumstances and/or aid in fostering an inclusive environment. Important terms such as gender identity provide new perspectives into how students see themselves compared to how they are seen in their records. Those who do not see themselves as the sex they were assigned at birth gradually start to express themselves in the form of the gender identity they see themselves as, and this process is called transitioning. Schools are advised to protect any students' privacy, as there are risks around notifying the family of transitioning, going as far as being kicked out of the house.
Since middle school, I've befriended a great number of people who identify as transgender or non-conforming, and the stories that they have confided in me with are unlike any other I've heard. It's ridiculous that these people have to be afraid to express themselves in ways that make them feel like themselves. These are people that are getting harassed, assaulted, and even killed for identifying in a different way. Watching the "Woke Read-Aloud" video, alongside a few others in the series, gives me hope that the next generation of our society will grow to break the cycle of mistreating the people around us because they aren't seen as "normal." No matter who you are, or how you express yourself, it should always feel good to be yourself.
Hi Zach! I really enjoyed reading your blog! When you mention hearing your friends stories, I am right there with you. Anyone who goes through the things my friends have talked about is absolutely absurd. It makes me upset when they are afraid to just be who they are. I too, hope to help end the cycle of the madness that some people in this world have. No one has to be "normal" to feel safe, comfortable, and themselves. Very well written.
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