Cultural Identifiers- Bathrooms for Transgender Students

Cultural Identifiers- Bathrooms for Transgender Students

Describe the cultural identifier and why you chose it. Explain your connection to your choice of cultural identifier and the role of social justice regarding your topic.

The diversity in school populations is compelling institutions to cater to the needs of all groups. Schools with transgender students battle with questions regarding the best strategies to serve their needs without defying the current laws. The idea of separate bathrooms for this group of students has been implemented only to be identified as discriminatory. The main issue of concern in this discussion is bathroom access for transgender students.

Summarize the key historical events that have significantly affected your specific cultural identifier.

The issue surrounding public facilities’ access for transgender students has been around for long enough. The historical highlights revolve around rulings that have been revoked, reinstated, or modified under different governments. Donald Trump’s governance revoked protections that enabled transgender learners to use gender-appropriate bathrooms. President Obama’s guidelines that had been instituted in May 2016 were rescinded through a letter from the education and Justice departments. Protection of transgender learners’ civil rights were enlisted in the Education amendments Title IX.

A Florida federal court ruled that schools would be acting unconstitutionally if they banned transgender students from accessing restrooms that match their gender identity. According to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, public schools are not allowed to punish students for their non-conformity to a particular gender. This ruling provided direction regarding Drew Adams, who studied at Allen D. Nease High School in Florida. Adams, a transgender student, used the male restroom at the school (Cohen, 2020). The court’s ruling highlights the discriminatory aspect associated with exclusive bathrooms or denial to use restrooms that match the transgender’s identity.

In 2016, North Carolina’s ‘bathroom bill’ created significant tension because it banned people from using bathrooms that belong to other genders except the one listed on one’s birth certificate (Nicholson, 2017; Barnett, Nesbit, & Sorrentino, 2018). The court of appeal sustained a ruling that favoured the Transgender community. Since then, the use of restrooms has been dependent on an individual’s anatomy and not the listed sex on their birth certificates.

Summarize the topic in the context of K-12 education, including the related cultural identifier and any associated controversies.

Transgender students in the K-12 education system are significant in number. For instance, Los Angeles Unified School District conducted a survey which revealed that only 0.5 per cent of its students self-identified as transgender. This percentage looks negligible. However, it translated into 3000 learners. This means that students do not identify themselves as transgender in the school setting. The transgender population is underserved in K-12 education, which raises the need for policies that require all schools to provide bathroom facilities that are gender-appropriate (Wong, 2015).

Identify current opinions for the controversial argument, including at least one supporting and one opposing.

The transgender bathrooms relate to the children’s self-esteem and disclosure. The importance of these aspects in the children’s upbringing and equality issues warrant policies and regulations that direct all learning institutions to offer bathroom facilities that match an individual’s gender, perceived or biological. This plays a great role in ensuring the safety of all students, more so the transgender ones who are prone to abuse as they use bathrooms that are gender-specific. It also reduces the stigma associated with using conventional bathrooms. The children feel free to attend to their biological needs without the need to suppress them. In cases where students lack transgender bathrooms, fasting of food and meals is common to avoid the urge to visit the bathrooms. Therefore, it is necessary that schools and other critical stakeholders address the issue as a matter of urgency (Bagagli, Chaves, & Fontana, 2021). Promoting equality rights for all students in the school setting is important for upholding the country’s constitution and preserving the dignity of transgender learners.

Describe how this controversial issue could affect your future teaching practices and how it could affect your future students.

Teachers and other members of the faculty are expected to remain sensitive to the issue. If addressing it for the first time, respect is important. Failure to show respect could demean all student’s perceptions of the self and increase feelings of unsafety in the presence of instructors. This scenario is more serious in the case of transgender learners who may be perceived as ‘beyond the biological norm’. Teachers need to involve parents in discussions regarding their children’s feelings about bathroom facilities, instances of abuse, and disclosure. These discussions should guide institutions on the best approach to address the cultural identifier.

Summarize related policies or methods that have been implemented in schools as a solution to the controversial issue. ­­­

To ensure social justice, both public and independent schools must do more than just comply with the regulations that are in place. It is necessary to create policies that ensure the safety of students as they use restroom facilities that are consistent with their genders. These policies should curb potential abuse from other students. Transgender students should also receive the necessary assistance to use new facilities that match their gender identity (National Association of Independent Schools, 2020). If necessary, supervision protocols need to be put in place to ensure that all students are safe. In addition, compliance with the laws and regulations that highlight Title IX is necessary for ensuring that transgender students’ rights are observed.

References

Barnett, B., Nesbit, A. E., & Sorrentino, R. M. (2018). The Transgender Bathroom Debate at the Intersection of Politics, Law, Ethics, and Science. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 46(2), 232-241. doi:10.29158/JAAPL.003761-18

Cohen, L. (2020). Federal court rules that transgender students must be allowed to use bathrooms that match their gender. CBS News.

Discourse and Its Violence. Front. Sociol. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2021.652777

National Association of Independent Schools. (2020). Transgender Students and School Bathrooms. Retrieved from https://www.nais.org/media/MemberDocuments/Legal/NAIS_GenderSpectrum_Transgender_Students_School_Bathrooms.pdf

Nicholson, L. (2017). The transgender bathroom controversy: Four essential reads. The Conversation.

Wong, A. (2015). The K-12 Binary. The Atlantic.

ORDER A PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER HERE

We’ll write everything from scratch

When controversies arise in schools, educators often research and access resources to support analysis, reflection, and problem-solving of these issues that affect the field of education, their students, and various other stakeholders involved.

Cultural Identifiers- Bathrooms for Transgender Students

Using your assignment from Topic 2 and the three scholarly resources you selected, transform your ideas into a complete 850-word rough draft. Your research essay should focus on a controversial topic involving a cultural identifier and its implications for K-12 public education. The final version will be submitted in Topic 7.

Address the following in your research rough draft:

Describe the cultural identifier and why you chose it. Explain your connection to your choice of cultural identifiers.
Summarize the key historical events that have significantly affected your specific cultural identifier.
Summarize the topic in the context of K-12 education, including the related cultural identifier and any associated controversies.
Identify current opinions for the controversial argument, including at least one supporting and one opposing.
Describe how this controversial issue could affect your future teaching practices and how it could affect your future students.
Summarize related policies or methods that have been implemented in schools as a solution to the controversial issue.
Support your research essay with at least 3-5 scholarly resources.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.