Transgender people face discrimination every day in our community, in the United States, and across the globe. According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey trans people are:

1. Four times as likely to live in extreme poverty (under $10k in annual income).
2. Attempt suicide at a terrifying rate, 41% of trans people have attempted suicide vs. 1.6% of the general population.  This number increased to 51% if they had been bullied in school.
3. "Those who expressed a transgender identity or gender non-conformity while in grades K-12 reported alarming rates of harassment (78%), physical assault (35%) and sexual violence (12%); harassment was so severe that it led almost one-sixth (15%) to leave a school in K-12 settings or in higher education."
4. "Respondents reported various forms of direct housing discrimination — 19% reported having been refused a home or apartment and 11% reported being evicted because of their gender identity/expression."
5. "Fifty-three percent (53%) of respondents reported being verbally harassed or disrespected in a place of public accommodation, including hotels, restaurants, buses, airports and government agencies."
6. Forty-three percent (43%) maintained most of their family bonds, while 57% experienced significant family rejection.

Considering this information, trans members of the human family are some of the most marginalized individuals in society.  And much of the misery of this community has been caused by either the inaction or discrimination of their neighbors.

Currently the NL-S School Board is considering a policy that would seek to allow transgender people to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity and/or in cases where that is not available provide gender neutral facilities.  A policy that seeks to extend the basic human right of using the bathroom has drawn a huge reaction from both the New London Spicer community and from across the state.  People claiming to be concerned about sexual assault as a result of trans inclusive bathroom policies have bombarded local media and the school board with their messages of hate.   Not only is identifying all trans people as rapists incredibly offensive, but not a single case of a person sexually assaulting someone under the guise of using the bathroom as a transgender person has EVER BEEN VERIFIED.

NL-S needs to not only protect it's LGBTQ students, but it also needs to prepare all of its students for their future.  New London and Spicer do not exist in a vacuum.  Students will leave town for school and work and need to be prepared to be respectful members of a society which includes transgender people. We cannot send students into the world poorly prepared to deal with society and the future, we cannot continue a culture of discrimination, and we cannot allow our town to be known as a center of hate.

Let's support the NL-S School Board, our the trans members of the human family, and build a better and brighter future for our community and the world!