Up North Progressive

Tom Casperson (R – Hates Nature and Kids) made good on his promise to be the biggest school bully in the state and introduced a bill to discriminate against transgender school children. Senate Bill 993, a bill much like the North Carolina law that’s turned that state into a pariah in the nation would require transgender students to use the school bathroom of their biological sex established at birth. How will the school know which students are transgender? Tom Casperson provided for that in his bill too – force children to come out.

If a pupil enrolled in a school district, intermediate school district, or public school academy asserts that the pupil’s gender is different from the pupil’s biological sex, and if the pupil’s parent or legal guardian consents to that assertion in writing to a public school administrator, or if the pupil is at least age 18 or an emancipated minor and makes the assertion in writing to a public school administrator, the school district intermediate school district, or public school academy shall provide the pupil with a reasonable accommodation.

Not only does this bill force a trans student to come out to their school, in writing, but if they are under 18, they have to come out to their parents too. Many young people keep their gender identity secret for their own safety. If they live in an unsupportive home with homophobic family members, coming out could mean punishment, or even being forced out of their home. Tom Casperson feels children deserve to be made homeless, bullied, and face violence from peers or even their parents. Equality Michigan explains how the bill violates Federal Civil Rights as well as Title IX Regulations.

Trans students will be made targets for abuse and discrimination at school. School districts will be forced to choose between complying with Casperson’s bathroom inspection law and federal civil rights law. Billions in federal education funding will be placed at risk. Billions more in economic activity will be lost as companies choose to do business in more welcoming and inclusive states.

Bullying LGBTQ students at school, despite programs to put an end to all forms of bullying still happen frequently. Prejudices reinforced at home follow children to school. Casperson’s school bullying bill not only allows people to attack transgender students, it would require school districts to attack children based on their gender identity, putting them at risk.

The national transgender suicide rate is largely due to fear of being rejected, harassed or physically assaulted. Transgender people struggle to maintain a home, jobs, stay in school, and provide basic needs. Being accepted at school for all children is a daily struggle, students who identify as LGBTQ deal with the added prejudices promoted by hate groups and religious bigots.

Dan Kildee issued a statement yesterday in response to Casperson’s callous and thoughtless bill. Casperson wants children to fear for their lives at school; forcing them to publicly declare their true gender identity before they feel safe doing so, and then forcing them to conform to binary sex bathrooms.

Equality Michigan urges everyone who cares about this issue to sign their petition. Michigan Republicans like Tom Casperson insist on legislating hate, costing the state money, and making sure businesses will go elsewhere, just like what’s happening in North Carolina now. Sign the petition and contact your state legislator and senator. Let them know you refuse to support state-mandated bullying of school children in Michigan.