Washington University in St. Louis hosted a Transgender Day of Visibility event “supporting transgender youth” which criticized recent legislation concerning LGBT issues as “abhorrent” and encouraged young children to “explore” gender identity.
“Adolescence is a tender time full of profound self-discovery. Coming into your own is complicated enough,” the event description read before it was deleted.
The Mar. 31 event titled “Advocacy & Allyship: Supporting Transgender Youth” was organized in partnership with the Clark-Fox Policy Institute of Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis.
The panel, which included a transgender child named Myles, discussed how teachers can address “anti-trans legislation,” intersectionality of transgender hardships, children “explor[ing]” gender identity, and medical procedures for “pre-pubertal” children.
“There are systemic efforts underway across our country right now to deprive trans youth of their rights and ability to compete in sports, to access medical and mental health care, and to fully and authentically participate in their schools and communities,” the moderator, Kelly Strock, said.
Strock is the author of Gender Identity Workbook for Kids.
“Some of these laws threaten the families and medical providers who care for trans kids with child abuse charges which would result in caregivers potentially losing custody of their children, and medical providers losing their licenses,” she continued.
This comment is in reference to Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s order classifying life-changing sex-change operations and hormone therapy for children as “child abuse.”
To “counteract” such laws, panelist Jess Jones proposed teachers “have, like a pride flag in your classroom, or any folks could add their pronoun to their email signature, or wear, like a little pin that has your pronoun.”
Jones, owner of Jess Jones Education & Consulting, describes himself as “a white, queer, non-binary, neurodivergent, transgender human.”
Myles, who was brought on to represent transgender youth, stated that “students should be able to use whatever bathroom they feel comfortable in.”
She further explained how she realized she is transgender.
