'Thinking About My Sister': Inauguration Singer Speaks Out After Trump Lifts Transgender Protections
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Trump Administration, on Wednesday night, withdrew federal guidelines concerning transgender students that were issued last year by the Obama Administration.
The old guidelines instructed schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms matching their gender identities.
Following the announcement, Jackie Evancho, of Pine Township, who sang the National Anthem at Trump's inauguration last month, sent a message to the president on Twitter.
It said, "@realDonaldTrump u gave me the honor 2 sing at your inauguration. Pls give me & my sis the honor 2 meet with u 2 talk #transgender rghts"
. @realDonaldTrump u gave me the honor 2 sing at your inauguration. Pls give me & my sis the honor 2 meet with u 2 talk #transgender rghts ❤
— jackie evancho (@jackieevancho) February 23, 2017
Jackie has a transgender sister, who, along with several other students, has filed a lawsuit against the Pine Richland School District, over its restroom policy.
Jackie Evancho told KDKA-TV's Ralph Iannotti, "When I heard the news that Trump was pulling back on transgender guidelines, I was thinking about my sister, and all the things she's gone through, and me watching her suffer like that was really hard."
Jackie also said she would like to "enlighten the president on her family's personal experiences, and what we had to see and hear, and open his eyes to see some things he may or may not already know."
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Juliet Evancho said she was disappointed in Trump's transgender action.
"In order to make a huge decision like that, you need to have lived it every day, and I think there was never a lot of planning that went into it," Juliet said.
Juliet fears that President Trump's decision could be viewed by some as an open invitation to discriminate in even worse ways against transgender people and other members of the LGBT community.
The president, however, says the rights of transgender people will still now be protected.