I'd thought the same thing. I don't see this issue as a nurse responsibility, but I consider it inevitable that you'll be pulled into it. If transgender students already use the school nurse bathroom, then you are in effect already involved.
It's so complicated.
You see, i don't necessarily see it as such. I see it more so as a student that simply prefers to use my bathroom. The contents of their underpants isn't really any of my concern. My bigger concern usually is that there was another kid in there puking up the world not 5 minutes ago and now a perfectly healthy kid wants to use my lavatory - oh child - let's at least spray some sanitex.
I am trying to understand how this will solve the problem. From PP statements that the transgender students are choosing to use the nurse's bathroom instead of using the bathroom of the sex they identify with. Will this actually change from what is currently happening in schools? I doubt that the girls would have an issue with a well established transgender biologically male classmate using their bathroom. But I do think that they would have an issue showering with them during PE class/ sports. That would mean that schools would have to make special arrangements (showering location or shower after the girls have left the locker room). The issue I have is how is this policy going to be enforced with males that administration knows are heterosexual, but claims to be transgender. Do they need a doctor's note to prove that they have been diagnosed as transgender, take the student's word, or has all testosterone been removed from teenage boys and this a mute point since teenage boys are no longer interested in seeing the girls naked?
I am trying to understand how this will solve the problem. From PP statements that the transgender students are choosing to use the nurse's bathroom instead of using the bathroom of the sex they identify with. Will this actually change from what is currently happening in schools? I doubt that the girls would have an issue with a well established transgender biologically male classmate using their bathroom. But I do think that they would have an issue showering with them during PE class/ sports. That would mean that schools would have to make special arrangements (showering location or shower after the girls have left the locker room). The issue I have is how is this policy going to be enforced with males that administration knows are heterosexual, but claims to be transgender. Do they need a doctor's note to prove that they have been diagnosed as transgender or just take the student's word?
So, your concern is a 16 year old cisgenger male pretending to be TG so he can get into the girl's bathroom?
Do they need a doctor's note to prove that they have been diagnosed as transgender, take the student's word, or has all testosterone been removed from teenage boys and this a mute point since teenage boys are no longer interested in seeing the girls naked?
Given the extremely small number of transgender people in America, this is a good question. There are far more sex offenders than there are transgenders; and this very recent policy decision that didn't go through any public forum, research, etc. puts the masses at risk in favor of an extremely small group.
Furthermore, when you consider that 1 in 2,400 Americans claim to be transgender; that's an overall picture. We don't have a breakdown out of that small number in terms of how many are what age. So as a society, at least when it comes to schools dealing with K12, we might be really bending over backwards for the one student out of teens of thousands without regard to the other students who want privacy, security, and safety.
Given the extremely small number of transgender people in America, this is a good question. There are far more sex offenders than there are transgenders; and this very recent policy decision that didn't go through any public forum, research, etc. puts the masses at risk in favor of an extremely small group.
Furthermore, when you consider that 1 in 2,400 Americans claim to be transgender; that's an overall picture. We don't have a breakdown out of that small number in terms of how many are what age. So as a society, at least when it comes to schools dealing with K12, we might be really bending over backwards for the one student out of teens of thousands without regard to the other students who want privacy, security, and safety.
Well, if it's only "one student out of te(e)ns of thousands," then the vast majority of the cis-gender kids aren't going to have their "privacy, security, and safety" interfered with, are they ...
There recently was a case in CA where the transitioning student refused to use the generic bathroom and locker room, which put the school into a legal no win situation. The situation was should young girls see a male body in the locker room vs the transitioning students' rights to use the facility the same as other females? Don't know how it was ever settled.
Well, if it's only "one student out of te(e)ns of thousands," then the vast majority of the cis-gender kids aren't going to have their "privacy, security, and safety" interfered with, are they ...
Given no public forum, no public vote, no evidence-based practice, no research, all we have are a small amount of facts. We have the facts provided by the government that 1 person in 2,400 believe themselves to be transgender. We already know there is a far greater number of predators. So why is the tail wagging the dog? Why create an unsafe situation for the many because one person might feel uncomfortable out of thousands vs. teaching everyone to have a thicker skin?
The have been no crimes of trans people assaulting people while more trans people have been assaulted in the bathroom.
I don't think that is the concern, it is the sexual predators SAYING they self identify. Let's face it, real trans have used their self identified restrooms all along, no problems, but by making a huge deal of it, you have given a free ticket to the opportunists to "self identify" for more than just identification reasons.
Given no public forum, no public vote, no evidence-based practice, no research, all we have are a small amount of facts. We have the facts provided by the government that 1 person in 2,400 believe themselves to be transgender. We already know there is a far greater number of predators. So why is the tail wagging the dog? Why create an unsafe situation for the many because one person might feel uncomfortable out of thousands vs. teaching everyone to have a thicker skin?
Um, because we live in a democratic republic in which individuals' rights are not dependent on whether the majority feels "comfortable" about them having rights or not? If it were a matter of simple "majority rule," we might still have slavery in this country.
The issue I have is how is this policy going to be enforced with males that administration knows are heterosexual, but claims to be transgender.
Somehow I doubt many teenage boys are going to falsify a transgender identity simply to see the closed doors of girls RR stalls. I just don't see it being worth their trouble for the heat they'd likely take for it.
On the other hand, when I was in 8th grade I did get propositioned to meet this boy in the boys' room during science class... this was after he groped me under the table during agriculture class.
And gay males have been using men's rooms, females using women's rooms for years without issues.
Flare, ASN, BSN
4,431 Posts
You see, i don't necessarily see it as such. I see it more so as a student that simply prefers to use my bathroom. The contents of their underpants isn't really any of my concern. My bigger concern usually is that there was another kid in there puking up the world not 5 minutes ago and now a perfectly healthy kid wants to use my lavatory - oh child - let's at least spray some sanitex.