Students Who Refuse to Affirm Transgender Classmates Face Punishment

[Smokey 1]

1. You can't force kids to get along.

2. The offense was that one kid was bullying the other.

3. I have had kids who were consistently nasty to each other and started a fight in my classroom complete a project together, after school, to teach them to work together despite their differences. It sent the clear message that if they had an issue with each other, they would need to figure things out, because that crap wasn't going to be tolerated.

No, you defined ignoring or ostracizing a student as bullying. I said the offense was being ignored. If you want to call that bullying fine but then don't go and change the offense to someone actively doing something to a kid. You keep going around the same circle by continuing to redefine the situation.

[Bmoreteacher]

No, you defined ignoring or ostracizing a student as bullying. I said the offense was being ignored. If you want to call that bullying fine but then don't go and change the offense to someone actively doing something to a kid. You keep going around the same circle by continuing to redefine the situation.

I said that ignoring or ostracizing COULD be bullying, and gave a scenario to illustrate that point. I haven't changed anything, you just haven't stopped to read what I actually said.

[Smokey 1]

I said that ignoring or ostracizing COULD be bullying, and gave a scenario to illustrate that point. I haven't changed anything, you just haven't stopped to read what I actually said.

I said you could take measures to stop active behavior but there is nothing you can do about some students ignoring others.

[Bmoreteacher]

I said you could take measures to stop active behavior but there is nothing you can do about some students ignoring others.

I never claimed that there was, nor was that what we were discussing.

[Smokey 1]

I never claimed that there was, nor was that what we were discussing.

That is what I was discussing, ostracism.

[kandace]

The implosion of the public school system continues apace.

[demopublican]

What is it about "the right" and their inability to embrace reality?

Is the alternative betaverse really that much "better"?

Quite a few people in the African American left don't really go for this stuff either.

[Bmoreteacher]

The implosion of the public school system continues apace.

How does a document aimed at helping schools deal with a sensitive issue mean public schools are imploding?

[SomeIdiot]

Seems a bit bizarre but I think this is probably much ado about nothing. Unless high school has changed far more than I think is possible I can't imagine there are all that many transgendered folks out there to whom this policy will apply, though I guess cultural attitudes towards such issues have changed a lot even since the 90's. Maybe I'm wrong and they've been coming out of the woodwork.

If it leads to an epidemic of guys wearing dresses to check out the girls' locker room I'm sure it'll be remedied soon enough, and if not the students will just have to develop a healthy sense of humor about it all in due course.

[Bmoreteacher]

Seems a bit bizarre but I think this is probably much ado about nothing. Unless high school has changed far more than I think is possible I can't imagine there are all that many transgendered folks out there to whom this policy will apply, though I guess cultural attitudes towards such issues have changed a lot even since the 90's. Maybe I'm wrong and they've been coming out of the woodwork.

If it leads to an epidemic of guys wearing dresses to check out the girls' locker room I'm sure it'll be remedied soon enough, and if not the students will just have to develop a healthy sense of humor about it all in due course.

Agreed. This policy is meant to support transgender youth and give school employees some guidance on how to deal with what could be a tricky issue. Unfortunately, some people want to twist the actual directive into something its not and focus on one line of text where they feel that the aggressors should be made into the victims.

[Kenect2]

No Y chromosome? You are a female.
Yeah, yeah. I know. There are sporadic exceptions to the XX/XY chromosome sex-determination system.
Those people are called "freaks" and somewhere there's a circus with a spot in the sideshow for them.

The suggestion that gender-sex variant children are freaks and belong in a circus is hate speech against one of the most vulnerable groups of people in society.

[Kenect2]

Nope just don't my daughter to have to shower with "chicks with dicks" after gym.

talk.baltimoresun.com - where all speech is welcome!

[Kenect2]

The implosion of the public school system continues apace.

That's what the bigots said when they started letting blacks into the schools.

[Kenect2]

The only problem I have is that the school is just going to take the students word that they are transgendered? This just opens up a can of worms. What is going to stop a teen boy from using the girls locker room just to get a peek?

You must have read the FAUX NEUZ report rather than the primary source. Please don't make that embarrassing mistake in the future! It's right there on page 4, nice and clear.

"Consistent with the statutory standard, a school should accept a student’s assertion of his or her gender identity when there is “consistent and uniform assertion of the gender-related identity, or any other evidence that the gender-related identity is sincerely held as part of a person’s core identity.” If a student’s gender-related identity, appearance, or behavior meets this standard, the only circumstance in which a school may question a student’s asserted gender identity is where school personnel have a credible basis for believing that the student’s gender-related identity is being asserted for some improper purpose."

Guidance for Massachusetts Public Schools
Creating a Safe and Supportive School Environment
Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity

[Kenect2]

That's easily solved with a quick trip to the nurses office. And if the child claim they are the opposite of their obvious physical attributes they why should a parent not be told? Chances are they may already know, but what right does a school have to keep this information from them?

Doesn't matter what I think about transgender-ism. I don't like the idea of the state not informing parents that their children want to use the same bathroom/locker room as children of a different physical sex.

The schools will allow them to change into their alter sex clothes in the locker room's of their choice. Arrive a boy, study a girl, leave a boy. Or visa versa. Hold on folks, things are about to head into the twilight zone. Maybe some of these lefty posters can share some of their brain altering drugs with us more conservative folks.

No one needs permission from anyone else to live as their preferred gender. The decision to allow a high school student to assert their own gender identity without parental permission will save some students from bigoted, ignorant parents who do not understand that transgender is a medical condition, not a lifestyle choice. Some parents would abuse their child for choosing to follow the only known therapy for the transgender condition.

[Kenect2]

And the next thing lefties will be demanding is the state pay for the sex change and have it done without parental consent.

Sex reassignment surgery (SRS) is considered medically necessary by the major medical institutions, including the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association, and the major transgender medical professional organization, the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH).

SRS should indeed be covered by insurance, whether public or private, and it should be available without parental consent.

Oh and by the way, I also support gun clubs in schools to promote firearm safety at a young age, so don't brand me as a "leftie."

[Kenect2]

What if a student ignores a transgender student when they want acknowledgement?

It sounds as though kids will be forced to be friends with these students and it may be getting very close to creating thought crimes.

Here is what the Guidance actually says, in the form of an example memorandum.

In one situation where a transgender girl was entering high school, she and her parent asked the principal to inform her teachers that even though her school records indicate that her name is John, she goes by the name Jane and uses female pronouns. The school principal sent the following memorandum to the student’s classroom teachers:

“The student John Smith wishes to be referred to by the name Jane Smith, a name that is consistent with the student’s female gender identity. Please be certain to use the student’s preferred name in all contexts, as well as the corresponding pronouns. It is my expectation that students will similarly refer to the student by her chosen name and preferred pronouns. Your role modeling will help make a smooth transition for all concerned. If students do not act accordingly, you may speak to them privately after class to request that they do. Continued, repeated, and intentional misuse of names and pronouns may erode the educational environment for Jane. It should not be tolerated and can be grounds for student discipline. If you need any assistance to make sure that Jane Smith experiences a safe, nondiscriminatory classroom atmosphere, please contact me or Ms. O’Neill. – Mr. Jones, Principal.”

http://www.doe.mass.edu/ssce/GenderIdentity.pdf

There's nothing about forcing anyone to be friends, that's just hype from FAUX NEUZ. The Guidance is merely asserting that bullying against transgender students should be punished. This is just common sense and shouldn't even need to be said. Unfortunately, FAUX NEUZ wants to make money, so they spread lies which cause a lot of excitement among the gullible.

[Kenect2]

By the way, how do you “affirm” transgender? Just wondering.

You respect that they genuinely are their preferred gender. Pretty simple stuff, but I have dozens of scientific citations I'd be happy to share with you if you need more convincing.

Here's a good place to start:

The Needs of Gender-Variant Children and Their Parents According to Health Professionals.
E. Riley et al, International Journal of Transgenderism, Volume 13, Issue 2, 2011.

[Smokey 1]

Here is what the Guidance actually says, in the form of an example memorandum.

In one situation where a transgender girl was entering high school, she and her parent asked the principal to inform her teachers that even though her school records indicate that her name is John, she goes by the name Jane and uses female pronouns. The school principal sent the following memorandum to the student’s classroom teachers:

“The student John Smith wishes to be referred to by the name Jane Smith, a name that is consistent with the student’s female gender identity. Please be certain to use the student’s preferred name in all contexts, as well as the corresponding pronouns. It is my expectation that students will similarly refer to the student by her chosen name and preferred pronouns. Your role modeling will help make a smooth transition for all concerned. If students do not act accordingly, you may speak to them privately after class to request that they do. Continued, repeated, and intentional misuse of names and pronouns may erode the educational environment for Jane. It should not be tolerated and can be grounds for student discipline. If you need any assistance to make sure that Jane Smith experiences a safe, nondiscriminatory classroom atmosphere, please contact me or Ms. O’Neill. – Mr. Jones, Principal.”

http://www.doe.mass.edu/ssce/GenderIdentity.pdf

There's nothing about forcing anyone to be friends, that's just hype from FAUX NEUZ. The Guidance is merely asserting that bullying against transgender students should be punished. This is just common sense and shouldn't even need to be said. Unfortunately, FAUX NEUZ wants to make money, so they spread lies which cause a lot of excitement among the gullible.

So would you have a problem if the other students decided that instead of calling someone a name that they preferred that they just ignored the person and didn't call them anything?

[Smokey 1]

You respect that they genuinely are their preferred gender. Pretty simple stuff, but I have dozens of scientific citations I'd be happy to share with you if you need more convincing.

Here's a good place to start:

The Needs of Gender-Variant Children and Their Parents According to Health Professionals.
E. Riley et al, International Journal of Transgenderism, Volume 13, Issue 2, 2011.

Respect cannot be demanded, it has to be earned.