WEST JORDAN, Utah (ABC4) — The Jordan School District Board meeting was flooded today with community members arguing over what bathrooms transgender students in the district should be allowed to use.
Parents and community members took the stand in today’s board meeting to discuss who can use which bathroom at school. The first person to speak was Natalie Cline, a member of the Utah State Board of Education who said she was not there to represent the board but to “represent the principles [she] ran on.”
“One of those principles I ran on was that any legitimate education should be based on truth. Even if in the current environment of censorship and political correctness some find that truth to be uncomfortable. One truth is that boys are boys and girls are girls,” Cline said.
Community members on both sides of the issue attended the meeting. One of the men who spoke said his trans daughter was being treated differently for using the girl’s bathroom.
“She’s just a child, same as everybody else,” he said. “If they spent time with her, they would know her humanity.”
Another supporter of transgender students using the bathroom that is most comfortable to them, Emily Bogus, said that “trans kids are kids and there’s no ill intention there.”
“I think a lot of people are scared that something’s going to happen, but these kids are wanting to feel safe and use the resources, bathrooms that they feel most comfortable in,” Bogus said.
However, other parents agreed with Cline and voiced their concerns about letting transgender students use whichever gender bathroom they identify with, citing the potential for sexual harassment or assault.
“What happens is they’re allowing anybody to make a claim and this opens up guys that just pose as girls to go into this bathroom and harm girls? And that’s a big issue for me as well as other parents here,” Rob Sivulka said.
While many parents expressed similar thoughts as Sivulka, the school district said by letting students use the bathroom that aligns with their identity it is legally following the rules that fall under Title IX.
The district released a statement that read: “Title IX federal law [bans] sex discrimination and harassment related to gender identity in schools. The District works with individual families to provide a safe and welcoming environment for every student. Anyone with concerns on any issue at a school is encouraged to reach out to the school principal.”
