Across Texas, transgender students are being stripped of their dignity by a law that forces teachers to call them by names they no longer use. This practice, known as “deadnaming,” can be deeply harmful to a student’s mental health and safety. Yet under Senate Bill 12, public school employees are now required to use names and pronouns based on a student’s sex assigned at birth, even when parents, teachers, and students themselves request otherwise.

For students like Ethan Brignac, a senior at Wylie East High School, this law has turned everyday school life into a painful reminder that the state does not accept who he is. For years, his teachers, family, and classmates have known him as Ethan. But now, teachers are being ordered to ignore his chosen name and refer to him by one he hasn’t used since seventh grade.

It is not just emotionally harmful. Studies show that using a transgender student’s affirmed name and pronouns is linked to significantly lower rates of depression and suicide. Refusing to do so puts young people at risk, isolates them, and sends the message that they do not belong in their own schools.

SB 12 is being sold as a “parents’ rights” law, but it ignores the voices of parents who want their children respected and affirmed. It creates fear and confusion for educators, who are caught between the law and their duty to support students. And it exposes trans youth to stigma, bullying, and mental health crises.

We call on Governor Greg Abbott and members of the Texas Legislature to repeal or amend Senate Bill 12 to stop the forced deadnaming of transgender students in public schools. Let educators support their students. Let parents make decisions about their own children. And most of all, let trans students live and learn with dignity.

Sign this petition to demand that Texas end this harmful policy and respect the names and identities of all students.
 
 
 Photo: Maria Crane for The Texas Tribune