Texas bill proposed: Teachers should out LGBT students to parents.

[Synobun]

Article link.

Sen. Konni Burton introduced a bill on Thursday – which just so happened to be national Transgender Day of Remembrance – that would require public schools give parents "any general knowledge regarding the parent's child possessed by an employee of the district” and records "relating to the child’s general physical, psychological or emotional well-being."

This may sound vague — and even harmless. But Burton has explicitly said this is a response to guidelines adopted by Fort Worth school district earlier this year, guidelines that banned staff from telling parents about their child's transgender status. The rule was quickly extinguished by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Texas' leader in anti-LGBT policies.

(...)

This bill comes on the heels of Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick announcing his interest in a bill that will block all trans Texans from using the bathroom that aligns with their gender identity under the guise of protecting women's privacy.

The article is admittedly written with a heavy bias, but it's not difficult to step back and validate what's being suggested here.

For Americans here on CFC: What have your experiences been with state legislation that is worded innocently but would conveniently endanger the safety of a minority? What are the chances of this being passed?

 

[Kyriakos]

Not sure, but wouldn't a parent know if their child is TG in any meaningful sense? I mean it isn't as with homosexuality.
Furthermore, would a child really hide being TG from the parents while having the school know? And how would that work in the first place? (a school is too small a community for such a thing to not be known if public enough for teachers to know).
Or this is about counselors? (i doubt it, cause i suppose those would have to inform the child about confidenciality or lack of it).

 

[AppleDumplingHead]

This line of discussion is loaded. I'd have to understand how it's actually "endangering safety".

People pick on others, even victimize them, for all manners of differences. I'm waiting for my special protections as "people who wear ugly shoes and ugly ties". Society doesn't treat me the same as a well-dressed homosexual, and if homosexuals are oppressed and they're oppressing me, I need double whatever they get.

...or I should learn to live life in an environment wherein all participants have their own bias because no one's really "equal".

 

[NovaKart]

There might be some situation where the school environment is more liberal than the child's home or maybe the teacher suspects a student is gay or finds information the student is dating someone of the same sex.

I don't really get why this information would have to go to the parents.

 

[AppleDumplingHead]

There might be some situation where the school environment is more liberal than the child's home or maybe the teacher suspects a student is gay or finds information the student is dating someone of the same sex.

I don't really get why this information would have to go to the parents.

I guess you'd need concrete scientific evidence that homosexuality is caused in genetic composition. Without that, I could argue homosexual activity between students is emulation of aberrant or dangerous behaviors which should certainly be discussed with parents.

 

[Synobun]

Not sure, but wouldn't a parent know if their child is TG in any meaningful sense? I mean it isn't as with homosexuality.
Furthermore, would a child really hide being TG from the parents while having the school know? And how would that work in the first place? (a school is too small a community for such a thing to not be known if public enough for teachers to know).
Or this is about counselors? (i doubt it, cause i suppose those would have to inform the child about confidenciality or lack of it).

This line of discussion is loaded. I'd have to understand how it's actually "endangering safety".

People pick on others, even victimize them, for all manners of differences. I'm waiting for my special protections as "people who wear ugly shoes and ugly ties". Society doesn't treat me the same as a well-dressed homosexual, and if homosexuals are oppressed and they're oppressing me, I need double whatever they get.

...or I should learn to live life in an environment wherein all participants have their own bias because no one's really "equal".

Both of you seem to lack an understanding of trans issues. The only teens who transition are ones who have the full support of their parents and the state. The rest generally are forced to remain physically identical to their biological sex. Transitioning is largely an adulthood experience once the individual has obtained full agency over their body.

40% of homeless youth are LGBT. It's unclear how this translates to youth metrics, but 3.4% of the adult population is LGBT. Most of the LGBT youths who are kicked out by their parents cite their homosexuality, bisexuality, or transgenderism as the primary cause.

Is it truly so unfathomable to consider that you may wish to keep something away from your parents for your own safety? There's a reason why someone would confide in a teacher instead of a parent, and the teacher being legally obligated to tattle on the child seems morally bankrupt.

Kyriakos, for example. If you were a rather passionate writer in your youth and you knew that your father thought so little of writers that he was driven to violence over the very idea of it, would you be content if the person you confided in then went to your father and told him that you were a writer? Probably not! And this is merely for a hobby. One cannot simply choose to no longer be LGBT. These kids would be abused by their own family simply by virtue of what they are. I think it would be reasonable to safeguard a child's ability to not have a core part of their identity isolated while also protecting their ability to avoid harm.

 

[Kyriakos]

So you are saying this isn't about transgender people. Just wanted to make that clear, cause the OP focuses on that term, and obviously not many TG teens would be TG and hiding it from their legal guardians

If this is about more general sexual orientation (eg lesbian, homosexual etc), then i agree it is not a good idea to have people used as councilors to have to report to the parents. That said, i am not seeing how anyone could formally have the job of councilor and be required to not keep such things private, so is this about random teachers who may learn something?

 

[AppleDumplingHead]

My opinion is...
People under 18 should be prohibited from any such "transitioning" across the board. There is not yet enough evidence that this is indeed a "correctable psychological issue" with the transition ( or in the process of transition ) or if it's a result of a myriad of disorders which are not being addressed. I think people who allow a child to undergo such a procedure are taking a really big, really bad risk, like brain surgery with a chainsaw. I think expecting others to just accept the entire package of the issue is unreasonable.

Plus, I'm not of a mind to be convinced all children, or even adults, who "think they're gay" are homosexual. I think people explore, discover they can be stimulated by certain actions, and they think this mechanism response makes them gay.

 

[Synobun]

So you are saying this isn't about transgender people. Just wanted to make that clear, cause the OP focuses on that term, and obviously not many TG teens would be TG and hiding it from their legal guardians

If this is about more general sexual orientation (eg lesbian, homosexual etc), then i agree it is not a good idea to have people used as councilors to have to report to the parents. That said, i am not seeing how anyone could formally have the job of councilor and be required to not keep such things private, so is this about random teachers who may learn something?

LGBT. Transgender people are included in the umbrella.

Most transgender teens hide it from their parents. Because, again... abusive families.

Teachers are regularly confided in. They are role models to youth. They have no confidentiality agreement but it's generally expected that what's said to them is kept in confidence. This law would force teachers to inform a child's parents if they think the child is LGBT.

My opinion is...
People under 18 should be prohibited from any such "transitioning" across the board. There is not yet enough evidence that this is indeed a "correctable psychological issue" with the transition ( or in the process of transition ) or if it's a result of a myriad of disorders which are not being addressed. I think people who allow a child to undergo such a procedure are taking a really big, really bad risk, like brain surgery with a chainsaw. I think expecting others to just accept the entire package of the issue is unreasonable.

Plus, I'm not of a mind to be convinced all children, or even adults, who "think they're gay" are homosexual. I think people explore, discover they can be stimulated by certain actions, and they think this mechanism response makes them gay.

Let's assume for a moment that you are correct. Anyone under 18 who says they're transgender or gay is wrong. Sure!

Why would you advocate for this apparent lie to be exposed and to then put the child in harm's way? Even if you were right, how is that justification for giving information to someone who is statistically likely to ostracize or physically harm their child for that trait?

 

[AppleDumplingHead]

Let's assume for a moment that you are correct. Anyone under 18 who says they're transgender or gay is wrong. Sure!

Why would you advocate for this apparent lie to be exposed and to then put the child in harm's way? Even if you were right, how is that justification for giving information to someone who is statistically likely to ostracize or physically harm their child for that trait?

I think your questions are a mix of hyperbole and "left field". I want to answer them, but it all would come out, spewing, like common sense, and I don't think you're here for that.

 

[Synobun]

I think your questions are a mix of hyperbole and "left field". I want to answer them, but it all would come out, spewing, like common sense, and I don't think you're here for that.

Humour me. Please, regale to your audience how those who are LGBT live a pretty great life free of any threat whatsoever.

Edit: And of how tolerant American parents typically are, of course! We all know American families are revered for their tolerance of those who are different.

 

[AppleDumplingHead]

Humour me. Please, regale to your audience how those who are LGBT live a pretty great life free of any threat whatsoever.

Regale me how anyone lives a great life free of any threat whatsoever.

Saying "not everyone who thinks they're ( x ) are ( x )" is not the same as "everyone who thinks they're ( x ) is wrong".

People will be bullied throughout their lives in one manner or another by others for being different. Sure, it's sad when the people doing the bullying are supposed to be the emotional support group, but you can't begin to fix this in the human condition.

Parents are people, and people are often wrong because people, by and large, aren't super enlightened. Parents do, however, have the position to raise children how they see fit, relevant to beliefs, custom, whatever.

It's asinine to imply I "advocate... to then put the child in harm's way". I think you're pointing the finger, casting blame at phantoms, for your issues, because I'm certainly not involved or imagine being involved in anything you've described in that.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

I see somewhat the opposite problem in these kind of laws. This clown wants to "slip through" this legislation, which in his mind is clearly intended to target the LGBT community...which he hates. But he knows that legislation based in his personal hatreds is going to have consequences for him, which he doesn't want to deal with so he spews out this nebulously worded nonsense trying to look "innocent." Consider all the things this nebulous umbrella could open the door to.

My kid got fat. The school failed to inform me that the little bugger was buying candy ever day at the student store. Lawsuit.

My kid got busted for possession with intent to sell. The school didn't tell me that he was living above his means; keeping an assortment of expensive kicks and a leather jacket in his locker at school and only coming home in the raggedy stuff I provide. Lawsuit.

My kid got pregnant. The school didn't tell me she was "in a serious relationship" with a classmate. Lawsuit.

My kid is her boyfriend. The school didn't tell me either. Lawsuit.

My kid is being raised orthodox. The school didn't tell me he eats a bacon sandwich for lunch every day. Lawsuit.

My kid is supposed to be rational. The school didn't tell me he participates in a bible study group at recess. Lawsuit.

 

[El_Machinae]

My opinion is...
People under 18 should be prohibited from any such "transitioning" across the board. There is not yet enough evidence that this is indeed a "correctable psychological issue" with the transition ( or in the process of transition ) or if it's a result of a myriad of disorders which are not being addressed..

It's true, we don't have good tool for which to deal with this psychological condition. Part of that is an utter lack of funding for mental health research, and the other part is that it's really, really hard. Allowing people to transition has brought them some relief from the pain, but it's not deemed a full solution by anyone. Even post-transition, this is a very painful condition.

It's well known that children will flip/flop on transgender issues, the brain is still figuring things out. But it's also know that a reasonable portion of kids who think they're transgender actually are. If we think they are, the goto for these children, discovered a few years ago, was hormone therapy that slows puberty. This reduces the amount of biological dimorphism that their bodies undergo as they mentally mature. The treatment isn't perfect, but we live in an imperfect world. And then, once the person reaches the age of maturity, they're then more capable of living with whatever permanent decision they make. Nearly everyone can work with an androgynous template. But transitioning after the body has matured through puberty can be massively, massively more difficult.

 

[Synobun]

People will be bullied throughout their lives in one manner or another by others for being different. Sure, it's sad when the people doing the bullying are supposed to be the emotional support group, but you can't begin to fix this in the human condition.

Parents are people, and people are often wrong because people, by and large, aren't super enlightened. Parents do, however, have the position to raise children how they see fit, relevant to beliefs, custom, whatever.

I believe it's fair to say that a parent abusing their children or kicking them out for being gay/transgender is a wee bit beyond "bullying" or their right to "raise children how they see fit".

 

[AppleDumplingHead]

I believe it's fair to say that a parent abusing their children or kicking them out for being gay/transgender is a wee bit beyond "bullying" or their right to "raise children how they see fit".

I think it's fair to say people who do things like that don't need, or have, a real reason, they're just abusive jerks. It's like how everyone wants to know why a killer kills, like the guy in the Florida bar. He did it because he's a murderous jerk, off his rocker, that's all. I mean, you can say "this and this sparked it", but the cause was there before anyone in that bar ever met him. The cause that makes people victimize is deep inside. Maybe we'd solve this better in a draconian society wherein every human is vetted for their compassion before they're allowed to procreate, but that's really stupid.

I understand wanting to champion for the helpless. I'm a big supporter of Red Cross and ASPCA. Don't get on some platform of helping children rebel from their parents, though. Pied Piper personae are reviled for a reason.

 

[Synobun]

Don't get on some platform of helping children rebel from their parents, though. Pied Piper personae are reviled for a reason.

This just in: Avoiding being ostracized or physically harmed by your legal guardians and not giving cause for being kicked out of your home is reviled rebellion.

 

[AppleDumplingHead]

This just in: Avoiding being ostracized or physically harmed by your legal guardians and not giving cause for being kicked out of your home is reviled rebellion.

Advocate for family counseling or individual counseling for the parent. Don't "side" with the children like parents are always wrong and every situation is worst case scenario as you're depicting, because it's spooky, creepy like a grooming pederast.

 

[Synobun]

Advocate for family counseling or individual counseling for the parent. Don't "side" with the children like parents are always wrong and every situation is worst case scenario are you're depicting, because it's spooky, like a grooming pederast.

You're right. Not wanting children to be harmed means I want to sleep with them.

 

[El_Machinae]

It's not so much 'siding' with the children. It's more respecting their confidence. Everyone knows that healthy a parental involvement is for the best., But sometimes a policy needs to limit harm, not maximize benefit.