A message from our Executive Director, Christian Fuscarino, about the Trump administration’s guidance in schools:
The Trump Administration has announced guidance that will negatively impact the lives of LGBT youth in schools.
Like many of you, I cannot fathom why this is a priority for the administration, to attack those most vulnerable in our community, Trans youth. But, in this time of uncertainty, I can promise you that Garden State Equality will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our young people have a safe place to learn and grow into confident and educated adults.
Here is what you need to know:
Every day we fight hard for New Jersey’s youth. We have been providing professional development trainings for teachers and staff and we have a great policy on transgender students that dozen of New Jersey schools have adopted.
In response to Trump’s guidelines, we will increase our efforts to provide appropriate policy consultation to administrators. This is key to keeping our students safe.
Trans youth still have rights under Title IX. And you better believe we will advocate for transgender youth and their families in situations where they have faced discrimination in school.
Here is what needs to happen in New Jersey immediately:
We are done being bullied by the Christie administration. Now more than ever we need the NJ Department of Education to step up and issue statewide guidance on working with transgender students.
Well over a year ago, Garden State Equality drafted the guidance for the state to adopt, we met numerous times with representatives of the NJ Department of Education to explain the importance of adopting the guidance, and they have refused to act.
Connecticut and New York, along with nine other states and the District of Columbia have already issued guidance protecting transgender students. It is this type of inaction that recently rated New Jersey a “medium equality state” by the Movement Advancement Project.
We are dedicated to this work ” but I need your help now more than ever. Today we are launching the “Safe Schools Advocacy Club”, where members like you can join to help us fight for our youth.
As a member, you will be supporting our certified staff to work in schools to get the proper policies passed to protect our youth from the actions our Federal Government is taking to strip the rights of our young people.
Become a member of our Safe Schools Advocacy Club right now. I need you. Our youth need you.
Thank you for letting me be forward with you. There has never been a more important time.
In solidarity
Christian Fuscarino
