On March 27th, 2026, the Kentucky state senate added an amendment to House Bill 759 which, if passed, will prevent any transgender person in the state of Kentucky from applying for or renewing their teaching certificate, a document absolutely necessary for anyone looking to become an elementary, middle, or high school teacher. This bill, if passed, will place further stress upon our severely strained educational system by removing qualified and enthusiastic professionals, rob students of healthy and diverse role models, and ruin the careers of innocent people who have done absolutely nothing to deserve such discrimination. 

My name is Annika Gibson, and I'm a student at the University of Louisville studying to become a history teacher. I also happen to be transgender. I could tell you that I'm appalled at the cruel audacity of my state legislature. I could tell you that I feel betrayed by a system which should be upholding all of our freedoms. I could tell you that I'm uncertain about my future in the face of this attack. All of that is true, but that's not what's bothering me most. More than anything, I'm just tired. I was a sophomore in high school in 2022 when SB-83 was passed, banning trans people from competing in school sports. I was a junior in 2023 when SB-150 was passed, making my essential healthcare illegal and forcing my school to refer to me by the wrong name. I've watched for years as this state, my home, has consistently waged war against me and my people, and now here it is trying to steal my future from me. It's utterly exhausting. 

This bill exists specifically to target transgender people. The text of the bill targets people who would be diagnosed with a mental disorder under the criteria laid out by the DSM-III, an outdated document which categorizes transgender people as having "gender identity disorders." Later revisions of the DSM, including the current DSM-V, have since removed this classification from the list of diagnosable "disorders." The bill also carves out exceptions for any condition protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 "at the time of its passing," a provision which makes the transgender community the only demographic that this bill will impact. This combination of outdated science and law will inevitably leave us unprotected and set a legal precedent for further discrimination. 

We have to stop this bill from passing in its amended form, otherwise countless transgender teachers will have lost their entire careers despite a complete lack of wrongdoing on their part. This injustice cannot be allowed to stand.