Today, a coalition of five local LGBT advocacy organizations launched a new tool for monitoring discrimination against transgender students.
The platform is called the Georgia Transgender Student Rights Watch and was released in partnership between Lambda Legal, Georgia Equality, Anti-Defamation League, Georgia Safe Schools Coalition, and GLSEN Atlanta (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network).
It functions as a web hub where transgender students and their families can file claims of discrimination. In a joint statement released today, the LGBT advocacy groups said: “If you are a transgender student and you are being denied access to facilities at school, we want to hear from you. If you are being forced to use a separate restroom or changing area away from your peers because of who you are, we want to hear from you. If you are the parent of a transgender or gender nonconforming student, and your child has not been treated fairly or equally, we want to hear from you.”
“Are you a transgender or gender-nonconforming (GNC) student in Georgia? We have your back.” -GA Transgender Student Rights Watch
This one-of-a-kind platform is the first coordinated effort in Georgia that aims to identify and begin to weed out discrimination against transgender students.
And it comes at a pivotal time when transgender people are both gaining visibility as well as suffering increased rates of discrimination and violence.
Just months ago, the Obama administration issued non-binding guidelines to public schools suggesting that transgender students be allowed to use the restroom that matches the gender they know they are. In response, Georgia joined 23 states in suing the federal government.
The lawsuit sends a message to transgender students that their elected officials do not support them. The Georgia Transgender Student Rights Watch seeks to fill that gap.
As the first line on the new web hub says: “Are you a transgender or gender-nonconforming (GNC) student in Georgia? We have your back.”
If you are a transgender student and believe that you’ve experience discrimination, visit the site to log a claim.
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