Are teachers really transitioning kids in secret?

It’s understandable for parents to want to know what is happening in their children’s schools. But it is not possible for transgender minors to access hormone therapy without the consent of at least one of their parents. And school nurses are not giving out puberty blockers, a rarely used and extremely expensive medication, like candy. Many school nurses are not even allowed to provide medication like Tylenol without written parental permission.

But there are schools where teachers will not automatically out a student to their parents, and there’s a really good reason for that. Information about your child that you might approach with curiosity and empathy, far too many parents approach in a way that is dangerous to their own child.

It’s natural for kids to want their parents to know who they are, and when they only feel safe using a certain name or pronouns in schools, there’s usually a good reason for that. 29% of LGBTQ people report experiencing abuse from family members, including 43% of trans people.

This abuse can have serious consequences for LGBTQ youth in particular, who depend on their parents to provide them with shelter. 38% of transgender girls report experiencing homelessness in their life, 39% of transgender boys, and 35% of nonbinary youth. 16% of LGBTQ youth reported sleeping away from home because they ran away, with escaping abuse being a common motive. 14% of LGBTQ youth reported being kicked out of their homes or abandoned. 28% of youth who experienced past homelessness and 35% of youth reporting current homelessness say that they have attempted to end their own life in the past year.

Laws requiring teachers to disclose when students alter their identity in their school environment risk exacerbating these numbers.