Trump Reverses Obama Guidelines on Transgender Bathrooms

Transgender students are no longer able to use the bathrooms of their choice.

President of the United States, Donald Trump, has revoked a key initiative of former President Barack Obama, in relation to transgender rights.

Under the Obama administration, public schools were ordered to allow transgender students to use bathrooms matching their chosen gender identity. Schools that refused to do so were threatened with withheld funding.

For transgender people, this decision was hailed as a victory for their civil rights.

Trump has trashed those guidelines, saying states and public schools should have the authority to make whatever rules they see fit, without interference on a federal level.

Protest gathering outside Stonewall in response to Trump's reversing protections for transgender kids pic.twitter.com/kbq1cCkKyH

— Danielle Tcholakian (@danielleiat) 23 February 2017

Several civil rights groups have denounced the decision and have warned it will endanger transgender children. Among the dissenting voices was Laverne Cox, actor and trans activist, who has since spoken out.

“These laws are in part about bathrooms, but they are really about whether we want trans people to exist in public space,” she said. “At the heart of it, this is about us having access.”

In December, a national survey found 59 per cent of trans Americans reported avoiding public restrooms for fear of harassment. Thirty-three per cent of respondents said they had gone as far as to restrict their eating and drinking to avoid using the bathroom at all.

“This is a mean-spirited attack on hundreds of thousands of students who simply want to be their true selves and be treated with dignity while attending school,” declared Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

With the Trump's administrations rescinding of protections for trans kids to use bathrooms of their choice the mandate isn't just about #PROTECTTRANSKIDS but is also about #FIGHTWITHTRANSYOUTH ! There is a significant difference between passively waiting until trans youth are punished and criminalized versus actively advocating, pushing, fighting, resisting WITH (not for) them! Why does it take state repression to care about trans issues when trans people experience extreme forms of non-state and non-legislative forms of violence every day? Instead of just protecting, how about we start pushing for more resources, safety, housing, education for trans & gnc young people (especially transfeminine youth of color). The reality of the situation is that even when legal protections are afforded to trans and gnc people we aren't actually able to access them because they are not implemented and we are punished for advocating for ourselves. Trans & GNC young people have been on the front lines of movements for justice forever, doing this work, and organizing for themselves! Thank you for your leadership and I will take your cues to resist alongside you! ❤❤❤

A post shared by Alok Vaid-Menon (@alokvmenon) on Feb 22, 2017 at 11:39pm PST

Photo: iStock