Transgender Students

The doors to public restrooms are propped open at an office complex on May 9, 2016, in Anaheim, Calif.
The doors to public restrooms are propped open at an office complex on May 9, 2016, in Anaheim, Calif. Florida's state board of education passed new rules restricting transgender students' bathroom access at school.
Chris Carlson/AP
Equity & Diversity Florida Board of Education Restricts Bathroom Access and Pronoun Use for Trans Students
Florida's state board of education passed rules banning bathroom access and pronoun use for trans and nonbinary students and teachers.
Eesha Pendharkar, July 21, 2023
5 min read
An attendee holds a sign during a rally supporting transgender youth at the Stonewall National Monument on Feb. 23, 2017, in New York. The state education department released guidelines this week on supporting trans students.
An attendee holds a sign during a rally supporting transgender youth at the Stonewall National Monument on Feb. 23, 2017, in New York. The New York state education department released guidelines on June 12, 2023, on supporting transgender students.
Kathy Willens/AP
Equity & Diversity How One State Is Updating Its Guidance to Support Transgender Students
New York state's education department released guidance on how schools should support and affirm transgender and gender-expansive students.
Eesha Pendharkar, June 16, 2023
5 min read
Protesters cheer outside Senate chambers at the Indiana Statehouse on March 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. Indiana schools may soon be required to notify parents if their child requests a name or pronoun change at school, after state Senators on April 10, 2023, advanced a bill that some worry could out transgender kids to their parents.
Protesters cheer at the Indiana Statehouse on March 22, 2023, in Indianapolis. Indiana schools may soon be required to notify parents if their child requests a name or pronoun change at school, after state lawmakers advanced a bill that some advocates worry could out transgender kids to their parents.
Arleigh Rodgers/AP
Equity & Diversity Pronouns for Trans, Nonbinary Students: The States With Laws That Restrict Them in Schools
Under the laws, teachers aren’t required to use trans or nonbinary students’ requested pronouns.
Eesha Pendharkar, June 14, 2023
7 min read
People with Pride flags stand outside Saticoy Elementary School in Los Angeles on June 2, 2023. Police officers separated groups of protesters and counter-protesters outside the elementary school that has become a flashpoint for Pride month events across California.
People with Pride flags stand outside Saticoy Elementary School in Los Angeles on June 2, 2023.
Jae C. Hong/AP
Professional Development From Our Research Center School Health Staff Wonder: How Do You Help LGBTQ+ Students in a ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Era?
Nearly 4 in 10 school-based health workers said they'd benefit from more professional development on working with LGBTQ+ students.
Lauraine Langreo, June 13, 2023
5 min read
Protesters fill the Ohio Statehouse corridor on April 19, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio in opposition to a bill that would ban transgender girls from playing in girls sports at K-12 and collegiate levels. A House education panel voted the Republican-championed measure out of committee Wednesday, May 10, along partisan lines. The full House could put it to a vote as soon as next week.
Protesters fill the Ohio Statehouse corridor on April 19, 2023, in Columbus, Ohio in opposition to a bill that would ban transgender girls from playing in girls sports at K-12 and collegiate levels. The U.S. Department of Education's proposed Title IX rule change would challenge state-level bans on transgender athletes playing sports that align with their gender identity.
Samantha Hendrickson/AP
Equity & Diversity Federal Rule on Trans Athletes Is Delayed. Here's What That Means for Schools
The U.S. Department of Education announced it will not release its new Title IX rules until October, a five-month delay.
Libby Stanford, June 2, 2023
5 min read
A crowd gathers at the outside of the Indiana House chamber as the House Education Committee discuss House Bill 1608 at the Statehouse on Feb. 20, 2023, in Indianapolis.
A crowd gathers at the outside of the Indiana House chamber on Feb. 20, 2023, as the House Education Committee discussed the legislation that became a state law that requires teachers to inform parents if their children identify as transgender. Indiana is one of at least nine states that have passed laws targeting transgender students' pronouns.
Darron Cummings/AP
Equity & Diversity Laws on Trans, Nonbinary Student Pronouns Put Teachers in a Bind
Under laws passed in nine states, teachers don't have to use students’ pronouns and names if they don’t align with their assigned sex.
8 min read
Supporters of a bill to create a "parents' bill of rights" attend a rally outside the New Hampshire Statehouse on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, in Concord, N.H. The rally was held ahead of a public hearing on the bill in the House Education Committee.
Supporters of a bill to create a "parents' bill of rights" attend a rally outside the New Hampshire Statehouse on Tuesday, April 18, 2023, in Concord, N.H. New Hampshire is one of six states where parents have sued districts over keeping their children's pronouns secret and allegedly violating their rights.
Holly Ramer/AP
Equity & Diversity Parents Are Suing Schools Over Pronoun Policies. Here's What You Need to Know
Parents in six states have sued school districts for not requiring staff to disclose their children's chosen names and pronouns.
Eesha Pendharkar, May 12, 2023
11 min read
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, center, with Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., left, and Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., speaks about proposed legislation dubbed the "Parents Bill of Rights," Wednesday, March 1, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, center, with Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., left, and Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., speaks about proposed legislation dubbed the "Parents Bill of Rights," Wednesday, March 1, 2023, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Law & Courts Lawsuit Alleges Maine School District Violated Parental Rights Over Child's Social Transition
A mom claims her child's school district is supporting their social transition at school without informing her.
Eesha Pendharkar, May 4, 2023
9 min read
Ember, an 18-year-old transgender girl, plays softball for her team in Ohio. If passed, an Ohio bill would prohibit Ember from playing girls' sports.
Ember Zelch, a transgender girl, plays softball for her high school team in Ohio. A bill in the state's legislature would prohibit trans girls from playing girls sports in school.
Courtesy Photo
Equity & Diversity Proposed Title IX Rule on Trans Athletes Poses Legal Challenge for Athletic Directors
The proposed Title IX rule change would require schools to do a lot of legal work if they want to ban trans students from playing sports.
Libby Stanford, April 19, 2023
8 min read
Scales of justice and Gavel on wooden table and Lawyer or Judge working with agreement in Courtroom, Justice and Law concept.
Pattanaphong Khuankaew/iStock
Law & Courts Court Backs Firing of Teacher Who Refused to Use Transgender Students’ Names
The appellate court said a teacher seeking a religious accommodation under Title VII caused undue hardship for a school district.
Mark Walsh, April 10, 2023
6 min read
Hundreds of students carry signs and walk out of school on Transgender Day of Visibility outside Omaha Central High School on March 31, 2023 in Omaha, Neb. Students are protesting LB574 and LB575 in the Nebraska Legislature, which would ban certain gender-affirming care for youth and would prevent trans youth from competing in girls sports, respectively.
Hundreds of students carry signs and walk out of school on Transgender Day of Visibility outside Omaha Central High School on March 31, 2023 in Omaha, Neb. Students are protesting LB574 and LB575 in the Nebraska Legislature, which would ban certain gender-affirming care for youth and would prevent trans youth from competing in girls sports, respectively.
Anna Reed/Omaha World-Herald via AP
Law & Courts U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Reinstate West Virginia’s Transgender Athlete Ban
Amid a dissent by two justices, the Supreme Court declined for now to get involved in transgender student participation in girls' sports.
Mark Walsh, April 6, 2023
4 min read
Mae Keller, a senior, carries a "Trans Kids Matter" sign and cheers as hundreds of students walk out of school on Transgender Day of Visibility outside Omaha Central High School on March 31, 2023 in Omaha, Neb. Students are protesting LB574 and LB575 in the Nebraska Legislature, which would ban certain gender-affirming care for youth and would prevent trans youth from competing in girls sports, respectively.
Mae Keller, a senior, carries a "Trans Kids Matter" sign and cheers as hundreds of students walk out of school on Transgender Day of Visibility outside Omaha Central High School on March 31, 2023 in Omaha, Neb. Students are protesting LB574 and LB575 in the Nebraska Legislature, which would ban certain gender-affirming care for youth and would prevent trans youth from competing in girls sports, respectively.
Anna Reed/Omaha World-Herald via AP
Equity & Diversity Schools Couldn't Ban All Trans Athletes Under New Title IX Proposal
The Education Department released a long-awaited proposed change to Title IX aiming to clarify eligibility criteria for school sports.
Libby Stanford, April 6, 2023
8 min read
Rebekah Bruesehoff, 14, poses for a portrait in New Jersey, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. The transgender teenager competes on her middle school field hockey team and hopes to keep playing in high school. "It’s all been positive,” she said. “The coaches have been really helpful.”
Rebekah Bruesehoff poses for a portrait in New Jersey, Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. The now 16-year-old transgender teenager said playing field hockey gives her "confidence, strength, and a place to belong," during a press conference on a bill to limit transgender youth participation in sports on March 8, 2023.
Matt Rourke/AP
Equity & Diversity With No Action From Biden, House GOP Seeks to Ban Trans Girls From School Sports
The Biden administration last June proposed protections for LGBTQ students, but hasn't said those protections apply to trans athletes.
Libby Stanford, March 8, 2023
4 min read
Dandelion Hunt-Smith pictured at San Francisco’s Dolores Park on Feb. 23, 2023.
Dandelion Hunt-Smith pictured at San Francisco’s Dolores Park on Feb. 23, 2023.
Nic Coury for Education Week
Student Well-Being Video What An Inclusive School Environment Looks Like For This Transgender Teen
Dandelion Hunt-Smith, a transgender and nonbinary student, sees great value in school environments that treat all students as humans.
Ileana Najarro & Sam Mallon, February 27, 2023
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