BY Kristi Young

Staff Reporter

In March, the Ellensburg School Board passed district wide Policy No. 3211, which is intended to provide an inclusive approach to transgender students in Ellensburg school environments.

The policy outlines providing transgender students with an equal opportunity to learn and to achieve. The intention to equalize and provide safety could benefit the school system.

One source who did not wish to be named, a current student in the Ellensburg school system, agrees with the need for such a policy.

“I think it’s very needed, because there is way too much discrimination to people of any diversity,” the student said.

The student said they have been discriminated against for being different, and was treated differently by other students in the school.

“I feel like homophobic people don’t understand, and they don’t treat you like everyone else,” the student said.

To help the schools smoothly integrate the new policy into the school system, a few Central faculty and students are creating a training opportunity for the staff in Ellensburg schools.

Cynthia Coe, director of the women studies program, and professor of history and religious studies, is the director of the new training program.

The program will inform teachers and staff on transgender terms, what it means to be in transition, and how to help.

As of right now, two Central students, Jeff Cote and Kasey Eickmeyer, are going to help train the school staff. The training program will be implemented in the district in September.

“Transgender students are among the most vulnerable and marginalized in our population,” Coe said. “One would hope that teachers and staff are there to help.”

The anonymous student said they were frustrated with the punishment system in the school systems and had little faith in the new policy truly impacting daily school life.

“I really don’t think it’s going to change,” the student said. “They don’t do anything.”

Claire Charlton, a 16-year-old Ellensburg High School junior, wrote a paper on gender neutral bathrooms after she was inspired by the California bill passed in August, 2013.

The bill requires California public schools to allow students to choose the bathroom or locker room of their gender identification.

“K-12 could choose whatever bathroom they could go into,” Charlton said. “I feel it’s really important that people should be comfortable with that.”

Charlton was unaware of the Board’s decision and had mixed feelings about implementing a similar system into Ellensburg schools, because of possible abuse from pedophiles and child molesters.

“I know if I had kids, that would make me uncomfortable,” Charlton said.

According to Coe, this kind of argument follows a long history of comparing gender minority individuals to pedophiles and child molesters.

“I think it’s important for everybody in the school to be safe and feel safe,” Coe said. “From what I’ve read, there’ve been very few problems of that kind.”

Charlton believes the policy might raise some concern among other individuals.

“I think a lot of people would have strong opinions about it. I think that they’d be mostly against it, because they might not think that there’s a need for it,” Charlton said. “They’d really have to hear from an individual that might benefit from it, but I think it’s a great option.”

Another source who wished to remain anonymous had a contrasting opinion on how the Ellensburg school community would react to the new policy.

“The students of the high school probably won’t have any problems with it,” the source said. “But the parents will probably overreact.”

Some students and staff may not be aware of these problems of discrimination in their school, but neglecting the problems transgender students face could be dangerous. According to Coe, many transgender students don’t know who to turn to, and some may be hiding what they’re going through.

“It’s important to attune people to vulnerabilities that may be invisible or hidden,” Coe said.

Margo Selski, a parent and local artist, applauds the school system for the changes it has implemented.

“I feel very good about these changes taking place,” Selski said.