Education
Despite the American promise to educate every person, numerous barriers exist that prevent transgender students from accessing this opportunity and prevent transgender educators from contributing to this shared goal. Transgender students face discrimination from systems that fail to acknowledge who they are and they face verbal harassment and violence from fellow students leading to absenteeism and dropping out. Adults face discrimination in hiring practices and access to job training programs, which reduces our economic competitiveness.
Changes in the following federal policies will strengthen our schools and expand the opportunities of education, allowing us to fulfill our promise and keep the U.S. competitive in the global economy.
- Safe Schools Improvement Act. Congress should pass the Safe Schools Improvement Act, which would amend the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Act to include bullying and harassment prevention programs. These programs should include specific information about bullying and harassment that targets students because of their gender identity or expression.
- Non-Discrimination in Education. Congress should pass a bill that protects students from discrimination and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression.
- Internet Filtering. Congress should amend the No Child Left Behind Act to remove the Internet filtering mandate on schools receiving federal funding for computer-related Internet technology. Internet filters often restrict access to transgender-related content and information. Alternatively, rules should be developed calling for more sophisticated filtering software and protocols that distinguish non-sexual LGBT online content from sexual content.
- Federally Conducted Programs. The President should issue an Executive Order amending Executive Order 13160 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression in federally conducted education and training programs.
- Model Non-Discrimination Policy. The Department of Education should develop a model policy that prohibits discrimination and harassment on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. The policy should protect all students, staff, and faculty, and should be disseminated to individual public school districts across the nation.
- Increased Prevention Program Resources. The Department of Education should invest greater federal resources in bullying and harassment prevention activities to create a safe school environment for all children.
- Data Collection. The National Center for Education Statistics should ensure that data collection includes detailed information about bullying, harassment, and other school violence, including whether the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity or expression were at issue.
- Title IX Regulations. The Department of Education should amend its Title IX regulations to allow transgender students 1) to attend single-sex classes consistent with their gender identity and expression; 2) to live in single-sex housing that is consistent with their gender identity and expression; 3) to participate in the athletics programs that are consistent with their gender identity and expression; and 4) to be treated consistently with their gender identity and expression in all other regards.
- Job Placement Program. The Department of Education Office of Vocational and Adult Education should establish an education and job placement program for transgender people.
- Abstinence-Only Funding. All federal funding for abstinence-only education programs should be removed from the budget and the funding used for comprehensive sex education programs that include accurate and age-appropriate information about sexual orientation and gender identity.
- Comprehensive Suicide Prevention. The Department of Education should mandate that all states provide comprehensive suicide prevention education to all high school students. The mandate should require that the curriculum meets minimum standards, including a discussion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth and why they have an increased risk of suicide.
- Bureau of Indian Education. The Department of Interior Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) should develop and implement a model policy prohibiting harassment and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity and expression. The BIE should clarify that this policy applies to dormitories and other housing in addition to educational programs.
- Youth@Work. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Youth@Work program, a national education and outreach program to promote equal employment opportunities for youth, should include content about gender identity and expression in its various programs.