An email was sent out to teachers early this week (August 30th, 2021) that stated that teachers may not respect a students preferred name or pronouns unless a counselor or parent was notified/asked. There are a number of students personally affected by this, primarily transgender students at River Bluff. This is blatant transphobia within our school that markets itself as a safe and inclusive space. Every student should feel comfortable coming to school and be happy to express themselves to their peers. 

This implementation creates a double standard when it comes to preferred names. Students have always been allowed to go by nicknames in schools and limiting transgender students from this is inconsistent and unacceptable. Our school district is actively moving away from progress when they enforce this. While our GSA is working towards gender neutral bathrooms, our administration continues to make their goals harder to achieve.

River Bluff High School has a relatively larger transgender population than most schools in the area. With these new rules, an entire marginalized group is affected and disrespected. We, as a school, need to be aware of the social and political status of our surroundings. Most of the transgender/lgbt students may not be accepted in their home. Making it a priority to ask parents or a counselor before respecting a student’s name/pronouns promotes transphobia in our schools.