Frisco ISD to discuss proposed anti-trans bathroom use policies
FRISCO, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — Frisco schools are considering a policy proposal that would effectively ban trans students and staff from using the restrooms corresponding to their gender identities.
The proposed policy states that any bathroom or changing facility owned or operated by the district will be used only by the person's assigned gender at birth.
Parents pressed the school system earlier this year to approve a similar policy, citing "safety concerns" about current practices that allow transgender students and their parents to work with the school campus staff to figure out which bathroom they are allowed to use.
Of the 361 documented bathroom incidents recorded in Frisco ISD, none involved transgender students.
Other school districts in North Texas have passed similar policies. Grapevine-Colleyville ISD approved new rules in August that restricted bathroom use to assigned gender at birth and curtailed LGBTQ+ expression on campuses, prompting student protests at Grapevine High School.
The policy changes fit into a wider push among conservatives to restrict the rights of transgender people, particularly children and teens. Last year, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a bill passed by the state legislature that prevented trans students from participating on sports teams that align with their gender identity.
Rep. Valoree Swanson, who authored the bill, said the bill was about "fairness," but opponents noted at the time that debate over this and similar bills has led to a sizable increase in phone calls by transgender students to suicide hotlines.
Several North Texas school districts have also targeted certain books from library shelves, including many that cover LGBTQ+ issues, due to complaints from parents and politicians about supposedly obscene material.
The Texas Library Association objected to book bans and accused ban advocates of engaging in "culture wars," stressing that none of the material that had fallen under public scrutiny was actually obscene.
And although advocates for policies that restrict trans peoples' rights insist they are concerned about keeping children safe, recently released data suggests that these fierce debates over trans rights could be taking a serious toll on trans and nonbinary individuals.
A March 2022 study found that 82% of transgender individuals have considered suicide and that 40% have actually attempted suicide. The authors noted that transgender youth were especially vulnerable to suicidality.
"School belonging, emotional neglect by family, and internalized self-stigma" were identified as particularly significant factors.