Monday night I attended a meeting at CAMP Rehoboth. It was in response to recent media and community discussion regarding the culture toward LGBTQ students in Cape Henlopen schools. CAMP Rehoboth, Equality Delaware and the ACLU of Delaware invited students, parents and concerned members of the public to speak about the abuse and bullying occurring in Cape schools. I listened to complaints and concerns from all attendees. I have hope for the actions that are being taken and pledge my support for the change that has been set in motion.
This is not the first time I have heard these complaints. As the co-founder of Trans Talk in CAMP Rehoboth, creator of TransSocial of Delaware and the meetup site Rehoboth TransLiance, I have listened to the horror stories of students and parents. As a Cape graduate, three-time co-captain of Cape wrestling and co-captain of Cape soccer, I am ashamed and embarrassed by my alma mater.
I am very proud of the young students who spoke up. I heard about teachers who expressed their personal religious concerns about student lifestyles. I heard about transgender students being forced to use bathrooms that do not conform to their gender identity. I was outraged by the stories of abuse toward our LGBTQ students by classmates, and specifically Cape athletes. Lastly, I was deeply troubled by several legislators' recent lack of support and decision to cut funding for the Gay Straight Alliance.
According to a recent article in delawareonline "More than half of transgender and gender nonconforming people who were bullied, harassed or assaulted in school because of their gender identity have attempted suicide, as reported in a 2010 survey conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and National Center for Transgender Equality. A more recent survey from 2015 found that the majority of respondents who were openly transgender or perceived as transgender in grades K-12 experienced some form of mistreatment, including being verbally harassed (54 percent), physically attacked (24 percent), and sexually assaulted (13 percent) because they were transgender. Further, 17 percent experienced such severe mistreatment that they left a school as a result."
The school board and administration need to do more. The Cape school board needs to include gender identity in their nondiscrimination policy. We are leaving these kids behind and placing them in harm's way. I challenge my former coach and dean of students Bill Collick to support these children and teach these athletes to be leaders like you have done for so many others. These children just want to participate. They want to learn, play sports and be treated like humans. They should not be singled out, degraded or outed. Transgender children just want to live a normal life. Bathroom use has always been used to segregate and discriminate. It is no different for our transgender community than it was for our brothers and sisters of color. I urge everyone to contact your legislators and have funding restored to the GSA. I beg Christians to stop using my religion to hate. Just stop.
Kathy Carpenter Brown
Rehoboth Beach
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