Transgender student rights

The White House issued a nine page directive today to address the rights of transgender students.

Title IX is once again at the center of gender discrimination issues, but this time the focus is not on school rape, but instead school bathrooms.

However, this Title IX-based directive, which you can read here, could have more far reaching effects.

Mara Keisling, Executive Director of the National Center on Transgender Equality says the document spells out how transgender students should be treated.

“What these guidelines are meant to do in terms of the, sort of the bottom line is, that transgender students have to be treated respectfully and safely and have to be welcome," says Keisling.

The document released today covered everything from bathrooms to sports, single-sex schools and even fraternities and sororities in an attempt to give schools from elementary through college, guidance on the rights of transgender students.

However, the Indiana Pastors Alliance feels it’s an overreach, releasing a statement today that said, “Today we raise our voices with millions of Americans who are both outraged and disgusted with our president in his latest attempt to bypass both the Constitution and Congress by mandating that our public school locker rooms and bathrooms be used to forward his radical sexual agenda at the expense of the security and safety of our young girls and boys.”

Keisling steadfastly disagrees.

“For these folks to try to – whatever they’re trying to do – raise money, I mean, or scare people by screaming at them about federal government overreach or transgender people being dangerous, is just shameful. These are kids that are just trying to go to school and this is the federal government just saying ‘hey let these kids learn,’ remarks Keisling.

The Indiana Pastors Alliance continued saying “Our tax dollars should not be used as a weapon to force local school districts into submission with a policy that is both dangerous and morally offensive.”