To: The Wisconsin State House, The Wisconsin State Senate, and Governor Tony Evers
SUPPORT LRB 3539 Safe and Welcoming Schools for Transgender Students
We support LRB 3539 which supports our transgender children and youth in our schools. We want schools in Wisconsin to use best practices that create safe and welcoming schools for ALL children of all gender identities. Recent actions in our state and nationwide indicate that many individuals do not have a clear understanding of the unique issues faced by transgender youth. In order to combat harmful policies, this legislation would require the Department of Public Instruction to develop a model state policy regarding transgender students, and also require each school board to adopt its own policy. The school boards may choose to adopt DPI’s model policy as their own. Adopting a school board-wide policy is necessary to ensure a safe, equal learning environment for transgender students.
Why is this important?
From Senator Dodd: Thank you for contacting me to express your opposition to a bill that would allow discrimination against transgender students in our public schools. I appreciate learning your views on this important issue. I agree with your concerns and I have authored an alternative bill that would support our transgender young people in our schools.
On October 6, Representative Jesse Kremer circulated LRB 2643, a bill that would prevent students who were born biologically male from entering facilities designated for biological females and vice versa. This ignores the reality for transgender young people and directly discriminates against them. Transgender students are constantly under societal pressure to conform to their pre-assigned gender identity, and are often picked on in public and at school. We should be protecting these students and ensuring that schools create a safe learning environment, not foster even more hate by using the argument of 'comfort' to support discrimination.
On October 13, I joined Representative Sondy Pope to circulate LRB 3539, a bill that defines gender identity as an individual’s deeply held sense or psychological knowledge of their own gender and transgender pupil as a pupil whose gender identity is different from that traditionally associated with the pupil’s assigned sex at birth. The bill requires the state Department of Public Instruction to develop a model policy that school districts would have the option to adopt. DPI would have 180 days from the bill's enactment to craft a model policy, and school boards would have 270 days to adopt their policies.
It is important that all children feel safe and supported in their learning environment. It is discouraging to see some Republicans work to increase discrimination in our schools. Thank you again for reaching out to me to share your views on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to you on this, or any other matter relating to state government.
Sincerely,
Nikiya Q. Harris Dodd
State Senator
6th Senate District
On October 6, Representative Jesse Kremer circulated LRB 2643, a bill that would prevent students who were born biologically male from entering facilities designated for biological females and vice versa. This ignores the reality for transgender young people and directly discriminates against them. Transgender students are constantly under societal pressure to conform to their pre-assigned gender identity, and are often picked on in public and at school. We should be protecting these students and ensuring that schools create a safe learning environment, not foster even more hate by using the argument of 'comfort' to support discrimination.
On October 13, I joined Representative Sondy Pope to circulate LRB 3539, a bill that defines gender identity as an individual’s deeply held sense or psychological knowledge of their own gender and transgender pupil as a pupil whose gender identity is different from that traditionally associated with the pupil’s assigned sex at birth. The bill requires the state Department of Public Instruction to develop a model policy that school districts would have the option to adopt. DPI would have 180 days from the bill's enactment to craft a model policy, and school boards would have 270 days to adopt their policies.
It is important that all children feel safe and supported in their learning environment. It is discouraging to see some Republicans work to increase discrimination in our schools. Thank you again for reaching out to me to share your views on this matter. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to you on this, or any other matter relating to state government.
Sincerely,
Nikiya Q. Harris Dodd
State Senator
6th Senate District