As a member of my local high school’s yearbook staff, I personally believe it’s not right that transgender students have to constantly be deadnamed in the yearbook and other school sponsored things. The LGBT+ community has been facing discrimination for centuries, and we’ve had enough. 

If you’re unaware: “Deadnaming” refers to when somebody calls somebody who’s transgender by their birth name instead of their new preferred name. This can be very triggering and very offensive, and should be avoided whenever possible. Mistakes are okay, but if you’re doing it on purpose, it is transphobic and disgusting. 

I’ve spoken to many members of the LGBT+ community—some of which are transgender—and all of them agree that we’ve suffered long enough. It’s been centuries, and our community still doesn’t have the same rights as those that are cis/het. This is absolutely unacceptable. 

If a transgender student is uncomfortable seeing their deadname in a yearbook then they should be able to speak up and have it taken care of. I am not transgender myself, but I have close friends and family who are and I’m using my voice to speak up for them. 

We understand this is not a massive issue compared to the things going on recently, but it still matters to us. High school is where you learn about who you are. Nobody wants to look back and be reminded that their school absolutely denied them as the person they are. 

We’re still fighting and we won’t stop until we are equal, one tiny step at a time.