Teenagers often struggle to fit in and find themselves, but some people don’t feel like they fit in their school or even their own bodies. Other kids notice too. Transgender people should feel like they belong and have rights so they feel safe in school. It’s hard enough to struggle and find yourself but with constant bullying, it can often lead to suicide along with getting hurt, both emotionally and physically. Something has got to be done so everyone can feel safe while getting an education. The suicide rate in transgenders often come from transgender people feeling unsafe in school. Seventy five percent of transgender students feel unsafe in schools. Sixty five percent have thought about killing themselves and thirty five percent have tried.
Over fifty transgender people have been victims of fatal violence in the past two years. One of the main reasons that transgender students feel unsafe is usually due to the fact that the educational environment that they’re in. Other students will not only verbally abuse but also physically abuse them. Transgender students don’t feel safe in their educational environment because some are bullied. Take Justin Gregg for example, he’s been bullied in school ever since he came out as transgender in school. When presented with the question of how it felt to be in the wrong body he responded with, “It felt like the worst thing ever. It was like realizing you’re stuck in a cage reaching for a body you’ll never be able to achieve.”. People have verbally abused him with arrogant slurs as well as physically beaten him simply because he was being himself. No one really knew the effect it would take on Justin’s life when he came out. It eventually got so bad that he transferred to another school in his local area where he is much happier.
Other students may argue that they feel unsafe in school with transgender people. Some students would prefer to argue that they feel unsafe in school when a transgender male enters the female bathroom simply because the staff won’t allow the transgender student to use the bathroom assigned to their correct pronouns. This could cause not only the transgender student to feel unsafe but also the other students. Lots of people argue that transgender people should simply use a bathroom that is unisex although not all schools provide them. Some transgender people than start to feel singled out when being forced to use a bathroom. It can cause them even more emotional pain that is unnecessary simply because they can’t use the bathroom that is assigned to their pronouns.
