An advocacy group called Texas Values held a joint news conference Monday with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to denounce recently-announced bathroom and locker room policies by the Forth Worth ISD.
A written statement said, “Hundreds of Fort Worth parents … express[ed] their outrage against dangerous new rules implemented by the Fort Worth ISD Superintendent that allow boys to go into girls’ showers, locker rooms, and bathrooms.”
Texas Values said a new group called “Stand for Fort Worth” was created as a way to represent concerned parents.
The written statement said, “District employees can no longer use the words ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ and must abandon gender references. Information about a student’s gender expression on campus will be withheld from parents.”
Texas Values also said in its written statement, “No medical or mental health diagnosis is required in order to have a student claim an identity and therefore, they have full rights to the opposite sex locker rooms, bathrooms, etc.”
An examination of the policy itself shows that teachers may not reveal to parents or guardians how a student self-identifies regarding gender — unless the student indicates it’s okay.
The policy also says, “School personnel must not question any student’s sincerely held belief regarding his or her gender identity once established and known.”
As for using words like “boys and girls” the policy says:
Administrators must affirmatively seek opportunities to be an example in abandoning gender references and creating an inclusive environment. School personnel must be role models of these guidelines. Wherever arbitrary gender dividers can be avoided, they must be eliminated. Calling students “students” or “scholars” instead of “boys and girls” may seem insignificant, but can make a notable difference to students who feel alienated because they do not identify as either of the two binary categories. Start the day with inclusive language, and stick with it. Educators should feature diversity in books, posters, and workbooks.
“One’s sex is a biological fact, not a state of mind,” Paxton said last week.
Paxton sent a letter to the Fort Worth ISD school board saying the district’s policy violates state law.
The federal government announced last week that schools which do not let transgender students use the locker rooms or bathrooms of their choice risk losing federal funding.
Paxton promised a lawsuit to block the new federal policy.
Proponents have taken a different view of the Ft. Worth ISD policy.
“Every child deserves to be safe, respected, and welcomed in their school,” Manny Garcia, Executive Director of the Texas Democratic Party said in a statement released Friday. “President Obama took steps to ensure that.”
“Governor Abbott and Lt. Gov. [Dan] Patrick clearly do not get it – they don’t get the fact that hate and discrimination have no place in our great state,” the Texas Democratic Party also said. “Republicans have made their state convention and core message about bullying transgender kids.”
