In this op-ed, Dr. Russell discusses the proposed Texas legislation concerning bathroom access for transgender people and the impact it has on school climate and child development.
There have been many voices raised about the proposed transgender bathroom legislation in Texas. Plenty have written about the reasons these laws are a bad idea. Others have written about how these laws will provide safety. But there is another impact of such laws that is not getting much attention: the effect on school climate and child development.
Public debates about the dignity and worth of individual people and groups of people are toxic, especially to children. As adults, we think that children are not aware of the ugly public debates about marginalized people, whether they are Muslims, immigrants, lesbians and gays, or transgender people. In most families and communities we don’t talk with children about these issues. We think that they don’t know or wouldn’t understand.
But there is clear evidence that even young children hear what is happening around them, and these prejudices play out in schools in the form of bullying. We saw this after 9/11, when bullying in schools of children perceived to be Muslim spiked. We saw it again after anti-immigration legislation was enacted in Arizona in bullying of children perceived not to be “born here.” And again in the rise in homophobic bullying in schools during the debates about California’s Proposition 8.
These debates and the bullying associated with them affect children because they create a negative climate not just in school but also in our neighborhoods and communities. Especially when we don’t talk with children about these debates, many will act out these debates in their own ways — in their classrooms and on the playground. Through bulling and name-calling these prejudices undermine individual well-being, and undermine the school climate as a whole.
Recent studies show that transgender youths are among the most vulnerable students in schools. New research that is the first to use population-wide data shows that transgender youths are at very high risk for substance use and for compromised mental health including suicidal thoughts. What is more important: These studies show that once we take into account bullying and depression, the risk for substance use and suicidality is substantially reduced. That is, bullying and depression at least partially explain why transgender youths are at such great risk in schools.
There are even economic costs to schools and districts of discriminatory bullying in schools. A new study showed that discriminatory bullying costs school districts in California more than $100 million in lost state funding due to chronic absence.
If we could reduce bullying and depression, we could greatly reduce these negative outcomes for transgender students. All students have a right to be safe and a right to learn. Like everyone else, transgender students should be able to simply go to school and learn.
These laws will not only have a damaging psychological effect on students, but also on teachers, many of whom may not feel that they have the backing to be supportive to all students. Especially now, teachers need to be able to talk with students about differences — about getting along — about understanding and respecting differences in schools, even when we disagree.
These prejudicial laws are a bad idea. But even if you support them, talk with your children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews. When they hear news stories, or ask questions, or make comments to one another, use these as teaching moments to talk about the fact that even when adults disagree, it is our job to get along. That discrimination is not OK, and that bullying is wrong.
When all youths are safe and supported to learn — regardless of their religion, immigration status, sexual orientation, or gender identity — they will be able to thrive. Their ability to thrive will be reflected in the social and financial well-being of their schools and communities.