50 signatures reached
To: The Ohio State House, The Ohio State Senate, and Governor Mike DeWine
Protect Trans Students In Ohio
Reject the bill being proposed that teachers, counselors, and healthcare workers should inform parents if they suspect a minor is showing signs of being transgender.
Why is this important?
The Ohio House Bill 658 introduced by Republican representatives Tom Brinkman and Paul Zeltwanger targets an incredibly vulnerable group. According to surveys conducted in recent years, as much as 48% of transgender participants attempted suicide. Their trust needs to be earned. They are being put into potentially dangerous situations if they are outed to a family who is unsupportive, and may face homelessness or abuse. Furthermore, they deserve to tell people on their own and under the right circumstances. Do not take away this basic right. Do not trivialize their experiences by inferring that they are wrong or do not know.
We need to protect these students and provide them an environment in which they feel safe, not further isolate them. To quote TransEquality: "A national survey by GLSEN has found that 75% of transgender youth feel unsafe at school, and those who are able to persevere had significantly lower GPAs, were more likely to miss school out of concern for their safety, and were less likely to plan on continuing their education ."(https://transequality.org/issues/youth-students)
Our children deserve better than this. They are entitled to the same education and safety that we intend to provide to our cisgender students. Do not take that away from us.
We need to protect these students and provide them an environment in which they feel safe, not further isolate them. To quote TransEquality: "A national survey by GLSEN has found that 75% of transgender youth feel unsafe at school, and those who are able to persevere had significantly lower GPAs, were more likely to miss school out of concern for their safety, and were less likely to plan on continuing their education ."(https://transequality.org/issues/youth-students)
Our children deserve better than this. They are entitled to the same education and safety that we intend to provide to our cisgender students. Do not take that away from us.