Nancy Dawson

Nancy Dawson owns a bridal makeup company and boutique located in OTR. She is the mother of three and is a volunteer for GLSEN. Op-ed contributions of 550-650 words may be emailed to letters@enquirer.com.

I learned my youngest child was a girl when she was 10. She had known over three years. Her gender is now our family's new normal. When I see old photos, she looks like a girl in a boy costume. She is still the child I love, only now her true self.

We live in a conservative area, but on the first day I sent her to school in a skirt, I was astounded to receive supportive texts from parents. The teachers and administrators were welcoming and eagerly accepted training from our local GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network) chapter, as she was their first openly trans student.

I have been assured by the school board that absolutely nothing in their treatment of trans students will change as a result of the recent reversal of federal protections for transgender students. Our district's educators support inclusiveness not just because it’s the law, but because they want to go the extra mile to ensure all kids have an equal shot. We are fortunate that she is being treated at the world-renowned Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. There are youth support groups, and I have a network of parents like me.

Because we have this warm, supportive bubble, I come from a place of privilege when I say that this reversal is dangerous and harmful to our trans youth. My concern lies with the kids who feel like it might be easier to skip school tomorrow if they have no place to pee. The kids who are being bullied. The kids who have heard and seen the ugly rhetoric and actions now feel hopeless in this new “anti P.C.” world. The ones whose identity isn’t supported at home. The trans kids of color, who have double the discrimination. The ones who are hiding who they are out of fear.

Imagine a child walking into his school and being met in the lobby by his principal, who informs him that although he has been living as a boy and using the boys’ room for the past two years, he will now have to use the girls’ bathroom. Last May, the U.S Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice issued a letter directing schools to affirm transgender students’ identity by using their preferred names and pronouns, and allowing them access to the restrooms, locker rooms and other single-sex facilities that correspond with their gender identity. President Obama’s administration interpreted Title IX as covering discrimination based on gender identity.

“We stand with you, and we will do everything we can to protect you going forward," then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch told the transgender community.

Despite brandishing a rainbow flag and vowing to protect LGBTQ rights, the Trump administration rescinded those guidelines last week without offering a replacement, declaring that these policies should be decided at the state level and do not deserve federal protection. While this action cannot change Title IX itself, a very clear message was sent: Trans students are not valued or regarded as people worthy of having the right to relieve themselves over the course of an eight-hour day.

What can we expect from Ohio with these protections being decided by the states? The outlook is bleak. After the guidelines were issued last spring, Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine joined other 10 other states in suing the U.S. government, claiming federal overreach.

Transgender kids are 40 percent more likely to attempt suicide than other youth. While it may seem “uncomfortable” to think of them being in your bathroom, they are uncomfortable in their own skin the majority of the time, largely due to societal judgments. Only 16 percent of Americans know a transgender person. I can speak from the standpoint of someone who only relatively recently educated herself on the ever-evolving subject of gender: Change is going to feel uncomfortable.

That is what progress feels like. Exercising your body makes your muscles sore, and stretching your mind can cause growing pains as well. Expand your brain and heart, embrace the twinge of discomfort, and realize that these kids are just like yours. They deserve the same chance to succeed at school as every other child.