“Don’t Say Gay” – WCVB Boston

September 2, 2022 News Editor

“Don’t Say Gay”

A political battle with legislation being pursued by conservative lawmakers across the country

KAREN: IN RECENT MONTHS THE LGBTQ COMMUNITY HAS FOUND ITSELF AT THE CENTER OF A POLITICAL BATTLE WITH LEGISLATION BEING PURSUED BY CONSERVATIVE LAWMAKERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. ONE OF THE MOST TARGETED GROUPS OF THIS RECENT ONSLAUGHT HAS BEEN THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY. JOINING US TODAY, TRE’ANDRE VALENTINE, THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MASSACHUSETTS TRANSGENDER POLITICAL COALITION, AN ORGANIZATION THAT HAS BEEN ADVOCATING FOR AND PROVIDING ESSENTIAL RESOURCES TO TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ACROSS THE COMMONWEALTH FOR OVER 20 YEARS, AND DALLAS DUCAR, A BOARD MEMBER OF THE GLBTQ LEGAL ADVOCATES AND DEFENDERS, AS WELL AS CEO OF TRANSHEALTH NORTHAMPTON AND A FACULTY MEMBER AT NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, JUST TO NAME A FEW. GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING HERE TODAY. DALLAS, I WOULD LIKE TO START WITH YOU. THE PARENTAL RIGHTS AND EDUCATION BILL OR AS IT IS MORE COMMONLY REFERRED TO THE DON’T SAY GAY BILL WHICH HAS RECENTLY BEEN SIGNED INTO LAW BY GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS, STIPULATES A PROHIBITION ON CLASSROOM INSTRUCTION AND DISCUSSION ABOUT SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY FROM KINDERGARTEN THROUGH THIRD GRADE. IN YOUR OPINION, HOW IS THIS LAW DAMAGING TO CHILDREN WHO IDENTIFY AS LGBTQ OR CHILDREN WHO MAY BE CONFUSED ABOUT THEIR GENDER OR SEXUAL IDENTITY? JEANNE: — DALLAS: WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS LAW IS REALLY GETTING A LOT OF ATTENTION AND IT IS INCREDIBLY HARMFUL, SEEKING TO ERASE IDENTITY AND CONVERSATIONS ABOUT BEING LGBTQ AND UNFORTUNATELY THIS IS ONE OF MANY. THERE ARE 280 LAWS ACROSS THE COUNTRY BEING ADVANCED THAT ARE ANTI-LGBTQ. YOU KNOW, THIS IS REALLY UNPRECEDENTED. MANY OF THESE BILLS REALLY DO CREATE A MORE HOSTILE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT SPECIFICALLY FOR LGBTQ STUDENTS. LAWS LIKE THE DON’T SAY GAY BILLS ARE CENSORING ABOUT — ARE CENSORING WHAT KIDS ARE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT IN THE FIRST PLACE AND IT REALLY REQUIRES TEACHERS TO DISRESPECT NAMES, DISRESPECT PRONOUNS, IT CAN OUT STUDENTS BEFORE THEY ARE READY, RIGHT? THIS IS REALLY ABOUT SAFETY. THIS IS ABOUT CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT RATE CHILD CAN BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES. INSTEAD THIS LAW RESTRICTS THE ABILITY OF THE INDIVIDUAL TO ACTUALLY BE THEMSELVES. IT CAN RESTRICT THEIR ABILITY TO USE THE BATHROOM. IT CAN REALLY RESTRICT PARTICIPATION IN OTHER EVENTS. THINGS LIKE SPORTS, SOCIAL ACTIVITIES, ETC. AND IS REALLY HARMFUL. KAREN: DALLAS, WHAT RECOURSE DO LGBTQ FAMILIES HAVE AGAINST THIS LAW? WHAT IS THE CURRENT CLASSROOM POLICY ON THIS SUBJECT IN THE COMMONWEALTH? DALLAS: WELL, RIGHT NOW IN THE COMMONWEALTH, TRANSGENDER INDIVIDUALS AND LGBTQ PEOPLE IN GENERAL ARE PROTECTED AGAINST DISCRIMINATION, RIGHT. STUDENTS ARE ABLE TO, RIGHT NOW, UNDER THE LAW, FREELY BE ABLE TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES, EXPRESS THEIR IDENTITY, BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN SPORTS, IN DIFFERENT CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES. THAT IS HUGELY PROTECTED BECAUSE IT CREATES A SAFE SPACE FOR STUDENTS TO BE ABLE TO BE THEMSELVES. ESPECIALLY STUDENTS WHO MAY NOT BE ABLE TO BE THEMSELVES EVEN AT HOME. IT ACTUALLY ALLOWS SCHOOL TO BE A PLACE OF LEARNING. KAREN: TRE’ANDRE, THERE IS A NEW NETWORK THAT HAS BEEN LAUNCHED, WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT, THIS, THE MTPC HAS LAUNCHED AN INITIATIVE CALLED THE IDENTITY DOCUMENT ASSISTANCE CAN YOU NETWORK. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT IT DOES AND WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO THE TRANSGENDER COMMUNITY HERE IN THE COMMONWEALTH? TRE’ANDRE: OUR PARTNERSHIP CAME ABOUT THROUGH THE 2019 COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY. WHEN WE ASKED FOLKS ABOUT THEIR TOP LEGAL CONCERNS, THE TOP ONE WAS ID DOCUMENTS. THAT THEY WERE NOT MATCHING FOR THEY WERE, RIGHT? SO, WE WANTED TO PROVIDE A PLATFORM THAT WAS ACCESSIBLE TO FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITIES. NOT EVERYBODY NEEDS THE ASSISTANCE OF AN ATTORNEY FOR THIS PROCESS. SO, WHILE WE WILL BE CONNECTING PEOPLE TO LEGAL COUNSEL AND REPRESENTATION, MOST OF THE FOLKS WHO, WHO WANT TO CHANGE THEIR ID DOCUMENTS DON’T NECESSARILY NEED IT, BUT IT IS OVERWHELMING AND CAN BE A COMPLICATED PROCESS FOR PEOPLE. OVERWHELMING BECAUSE YOU KNOW, NAVIGATING LEGAL SYSTEMS CAN BE VERY SCARY. AND IF YOU MAY HAVE BEEN BORN IN A DIFFERENT STATE OR DIFFERENT COUNTRY, THINGS CAN BE A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPLICATED. KAREN: THIS MAKES THINGS A LITTLE BIT EASIER. DALLAS, THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA TRANSGENDER SWIMMER LEAH THOMAS RECENTLY WON A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP IN THE 500 YARD FREESTYLE MANY. FEMALE SWIMMERS HAVE ARGUED THAT HER PARTICIPATION IS UNFAIR AND TRANSGENDER PEOPLE SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED TO COMPETE IN COLLEGE SPORTS. RON DESANTIS TWEETED ABOUT IT, SAYING THAT BY ALLOWING MEN TO COMPETE IN WOMEN’S SPORTS, THE NCAA IS DESTROYING OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, MAKING A MOCKERY OF ITS CHAMPIONSHIPS AND PERPETUATING A FRAUD AND IN FLORIDA WE REJECTED THESE FRAUDS AND RECOGNIZE SOMEONE ELSE IN THE 500 YARD FREESTYLE. WHAT IS GLAD’S STANCE ON THIS ISSUE? DALLAS: THE NCAA HAS INSURED — HAS WORKED FOR YEARS TO ENSURE A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD FOR ATHLETES TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS TO COMPETE AND WHAT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO NOTE IS THAT THE NCAA HAS HAD A HISTORY OF THINKING ABOUT THE OVERALL RESPECT AND SAFETY IN WHICH ALL ATHLETES ARE TREATED. THEY MADE DECISIONS IN THE PAST NOT TO HOLD CHAMPIONS IN DIFFERENT STATES FOR PASSED LAWS THAT DIRECTLY HOLD — HARM TRANS PEOPLE AND IT IS SOMETHING THE NCAA LEADERSHIP CAN CONSIDER NOW AS WE SEE SO MANY UNFULFILLED PASSING INCLUDING BILLS EXCLUDING LIFESAVING HEALTH CARE, FORCING TEACHERS TO REALLY MISS GENDER STUDENTS OR EXCLUDE TRANS GIRLS IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ACTIVITIES, PARTICIPATING IN SPORTS WITH THEIR PEERS. AT THE END OF THE DAY THE NCAA NEEDS TO CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THEIR STANCE AND WE CAN FOCUS ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER, THESE BILLS THAT ARE PREVENTING KIDS FROM BEING ABLE TO LIVE A HEALTHY LIFE. KAREN: TRE’ANDRE, LAST QUESTION TO YOU. THE MTPC HAS STARTED THE TRANS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY, THE PURPOSE OF WHICH IS TO ELIMINATE HURDLES THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT THE TRANS COMMUNITY. WHY ARE ISSUES OF HOMELESSNESS AND POVERTY SO PREVALENT IN THE TRANS COMMUNITY AND HOW HAS MTPC BEEN WORKING TO CHANGE THINGS? TRE’ANDRE: THROUGH THIS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, WE HAVE BEEN PROVIDING COMMUNITY COUNSELING, SUPPORT, SKILL BUILDING, NETWORKING WITH OTHER EMPLOYERS SO THAT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN DEVELOP A CAREER OR LIFE PLAN WITH CLEAR ATTAINABLE GOALS. SO THAT THEY CAN REALLY NOT ONLY SURVIVE, BUT THRIVE. A LOT OF OUR FOLKS HAVE BEEN FORCED INTO THE SURVIVAL ECONOMY AND WE ARE TRYING TO ALLEVIATE THOSE ECONOMIC INSTABILITIES.

“Don’t Say Gay”

A political battle with legislation being pursued by conservative lawmakers across the country

In recent months the LGBTQ Community has found itself at the center of a political battle with legislation being pursued by conservative lawmakers across the country. Joining us are Tre’Andre Valentine, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition which has been advocating for and providing essential resources to transgender people across the Commonwealth and Dallas Ducar, a board member of the GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (also known as GLAD), as well as CEO of Transhealth Northampton.

NEEDHAM, Mass. —

In recent months the LGBTQ Community has found itself at the center of a political battle with legislation being pursued by conservative lawmakers across the country. Joining us are Tre’Andre Valentine, the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition which has been advocating for and providing essential resources to transgender people across the Commonwealth and Dallas Ducar, a board member of the GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (also known as GLAD), as well as CEO of Transhealth Northampton.