On Saturday, a bill was passed that requires California public schools serving first through 12th grades to provide at least one gender-neutral bathroom for students by 2026.
Junior Michael Kim sees this new law as a victory for self-expression.
Michael Kim: I think it’s pretty cool that people are able to express their own gender identity and whatnot. It allows more freedom and less harsh restrictions on nonbinary related genders. And it kind of sets forth like a precedent where, you know, you can express who you are and be more free with that. So I think it’s pretty cool.
According to a recent study conducted by the Human Rights Campaign, an astounding 43% of transgender and non-binary students were never able to use a bathroom or locker room facility that matched their gender identity. 38% of which said that their school didn’t have an option for them or didn’t have enough facilities to support their needs.
Mandar Vaingankar, a Master’s student in Electrical Engineering, believes it’s important for all students, regardless of gender identity, to have equal access of resources.
Mandar Vaingankar: Personally, I think it’s it’s a good thing because irrespective of what gender you are. You should still have the opportunity to get the access to the resources, which is fair for everyone. So I think it’s a great move. I think everyone has the right to express themselves and it’s a free country. You can be whatever you want as long as you respect others, and so you can ask for respect from others.
This law was signed among many others that create more support systems for LGBTQ+ youth in California. The bill’s passing is a result of a 2021 policy from Chino Valley Unified School District. That action required schools to inform parents when their children changed their pronouns or use a bathroom different from the gender listed on their official paperwork.
It also follows Gov. Newsom’s veto of a bill that would have required judges to consider a parent’s acceptance of their child’s gender identity when making custody and visitation decisions.
This staunch tug-of-war between LGBTQ+ progress and bigoted legislation is a national problem. Across the United States, LGBTQ+ people have been under attack through actions such as Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. John Broadway is disappointed in the backlash towards trans rights, acceptance and inclusion.
John Broadway: If I could speak generally about the U.S., particularly states like like Florida was like, ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills, we’re doing pretty trash. I think there’s a huge sentiment that like the LGBT community and trans community has this agenda. I’m not really sure like what they think this agenda is, but you know, I think if people understood the only quote unquote, agenda they have is living in a world where they can be accepted and safe. Hopefully, that understanding would allow for better laws and policies to be made for them.
The bills passed on Saturday by Gov. Newsom is one small step towards gender equity in a persistent war against queer rights.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Zifei Zhang.