Transphobic teachers in Oregon want to change restroom signs to “anatomically male” and “anatomically female”
The two educators at North Middle School in Oregon, Assistant Principal Rachel Damiano and Teacher Katie Medart, have published a video where they argue for changing restroom signs to “anatomically male” and “anatomically female”.
It was colorish14 over at tumblr who told me about the story, writing: “Please Please Please Please sign this. It’s a petition against 2 transphobic teachers in my school district. We need your help. Reblog if you sign.”
This is obviously just another attempt at excluding transgender people from society. It is part of a larger strategy of policing trans people out of existence.
The reason right wing extremists and trans-exclusionary “radical feminists” focus on the bathrooms is that they have a strong symbolic and cultural value. Banning trans people access to the right restrooms gives a signal to the world that trans people are not welcome in society.
These teachers have also petitioned that transgender students should be required to meet with their teachers and parents or guardians to discuss whether their pronouns and name are valid enough to be used in a teaching environment.
This is another transphobic tactic aimed at presenting transgender people as misguided or confused. If these teachers had any real idea about what it means to be trans, they would not have made these suggestions in the first place. And if they have no real knowledge about what it means to be trans, why should they be included in a debate about correct pronouns?
Keep in mind that all serious experts in the field agree that transgender identities are real and that trans people deserve acceptance, respect and assistance.
OPB.org reports that the two educators in Grants Pass are now on leave and that “these postings were not authorized by the District and are not official statements or positions of the District.”
They may look like nice and compassionate soccer mums, but make no mistake about it: What these two are doing is causing immense harm to transgender kids. (Snapshot from their video)
The Grants Pass School District 7 says that it is “committed to providing welcoming and safe learning environments for all students, including our LGBTQ students.”
Good. Let us hope that means that the district will put an end to this bigotry.
The two educators have organized their anti-trans activities under the banner of a “I Resolve Movement”, which looks very much like a front for the so-called “gender critical radical feminist” movement to me. That subculture is neither critical, radical nor feminist. They use the exact same arguments as right wing fanatics these days.
I see that their facebook-page has already been removed. Good. Now let us help the students of North Middle School end this anti-LGBTQIA activism.
If you know of similar cases, let us know.
Originally published at https://trans-express.lgbt.
