Transgender youth: 'Forced outing' bills make schools unsafe
Al Stone-Gebhardt worked hard in school to make sure he graduates in May, and he spent hundreds of dollars on commencement regalia, but he is fully prepared not to participate in the ceremony.
The 17-year-old, who is transgender, said he feared his high school, Tulsa Union, might use his deadname — the name he was given at birth but no longer uses — on his diploma and during the ceremony instead of his legally changed name. He has had teachers call him by his birth name, sometimes inadvertently, and said he finds the experience traumatizing.
“Being deadnamed just immediately makes you feel belittled, weak and insignificant,” Stone-Gebhardt said. “I didn’t want to be in the classroom. I didn’t trust the teacher.”
The Associated Press contacted the school about Stone-Gebhardt’s fears, as well as concerns from his mother, who felt she was getting the runaround when she tried to discuss the issue with the school officials. A spokesperson said the school will work with his parents to make sure his correct name is used.
As hundreds of bills nationwide take aim at nearly every facet of transgender existence, from health care to athletics to bathroom access, trans kids and their families say certain proposals could eliminate one of the last remaining safe havens to explore their identities: K-12 public schools.
https://apnews.com/article/transgender-students-pronouns-names-ec0b2c5de329d82c563ffb95262935f3
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