A new survey has revealed that almost half of transgender schoolchildren in Britain have attempted suicide.
Forty five percent of trans students have attempted to take their own life, compared with 22% of LGB youth.
It’s part of a number of findings in the School Report survey, compiled by LGBTQ charity Stonewall, which documented the experiences of 3,713 LGBTQ youth in Britain’s schools.
Among the findings:
45% of LGBTQ youth have been bullied at school
One in ten trans students are subjected to death threats at school
45% of bullied LGBTQ youth don’t tell anyone about being bullied
Only 29% say a teacher has intervened when they witnessed bullying
A third of trans students are not able to use their preferred name at school
Only 20% of LGBTQ youth have learned about safe sex in same-sex relationships
Shockingly, 84% of trans youth and 61% of LGB youth have self-harmed
96% of LGBTQ young people had to use the internet to learn more about their sexuality/gender identity
Zoe, a 12-year-old student in England, told Stonewall: “I felt like whatever I was doing was worthless. Even if I did well in school, it wouldn’t matter to people because all they would care about is me being gay.”
“I lost confidence and the power to succeed and get the best qualifications,” said George, 16, who attended a faith high school in Scotland. “I left because I was scared and I didn’t belong in that environment.”
Jack, 15, who attends high school in the South East of England, said: “I’ve been bullied all my school life, but when I came out as gay five years ago, and then as trans two years ago, the bullying increased.
“People call me a ‘he-she’, ‘tranny’, and other transphobic slurs. People also call me homophobic slurs like ‘lezza’ and ‘fag’.”
But despite the negative findings, Stonewall Chief Executive Ruth Hunt said there is cause for optimism.
“Thanks to government and cross-party support, compulsory relationships and sex education (RSE) is set to become a reality in England’s schools,” she said. “This is a vital step towards ensuring that all young people are equipped to make informed decisions about their lives and relationships.”
The survey’s findings reflect that. In 2007, 70% of students had never been taught about LGBTQ issues. That figure has fallen to 40% by 2017.
Incidences of homophobic language have also fallen. In 2007, 71% regularly heard “faggot” and other slurs while at school, a figure that now sits at 52% in 2017.
“As we look ahead, we must keep sight of our shared mission: to create a world where every young person can grow up happy, healthy and supported to reach their full potential,” Hunt said. “While much has changed over the past decade, it is clear we cannot be complacent in the fight for equality.”
A proposed bill in Kentucky would remove transgender children from their parents' custody if they are caught using bathrooms at school that don't match their assigned sex at birth.
Sponsored by State Rep. Jason Petrie (R-Elkton), the measure does not explicitly mention transgender children or bathrooms. It does, however, refer to various provisions governing student conduct.
These include a "bathroom ban" that was passed last year as part of a sweeping anti-transgender bill that also banned access to gender-affirming care for minors, use of gender-affirming pronouns in school environments, and "Don't Say Gay"-style prohibitions on classroom content.
A group of students, parents, and teachers in Florida have reached a settlement with state educational authorities that clarifies several provisions in the state's infamous "Don't Say Gay" law.
The "Don't Say Gay" law, officially dubbed the "Parental Rights in Education" law, sought to limit students' exposure to LGBTQ issues and identities under the guise of keeping parents informed and giving them outsized influence over what subjects are broached in the classroom.
Soon after its passage, proponents of the law quickly dubbed opponents "groomers," claiming they wanted to indoctrinate children into adopting values or embracing ideas that run counter to their parents' morals or beliefs or expose them to age-inappropriate subjects. Republican lawmakers soon expanded the law's restrictions on K-3 classrooms to apply to all K-12 classrooms in the state.
President Joe Biden offered words of support during his State of the Union address on Thursday, March 7, telling transgender Americans -- many of whom feel increasingly under attack by efforts to restrict visible expressions of identity or gender-nonconformity -- "I have your back."
In a speech characterized by many pundits as "fiery," "energetic," "impassioned," and combative, Biden verbally parried with some Republican members of Congress who sought to heckle or "troll" him, especially on the issue of immigration and border security, as reported by CNN.
The president also denounced book-banning -- which conservatives have espoused, ostensibly in order to protect children from sexually-tinged or LGBTQ content -- as attempts to erase history.
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