Trans controversies are flooding women’s sports, beer commercials, and the floor of Congress, but a packed Maryland school board meeting on April 19 may have illustrated the fissure nationwide. Some observers waited 6 hours to get their chance to comment.
Both sides of the clash over “gender-affirming” rules in the Frederick County Public School System (FCPS) insist they are “saving lives.” The Frederick County Public School Board has heard frequently from citizens in protest of the County rule that allows students as young as 6 years old to self-identify as a person of the opposite sex without teachers notifying their mother or father. Nonetheless, most of the elected school board members stand by it. Not doing so, advocates of the rule have argued, may lead to bullying, depression, or even suicide. On the other side are parents and policy experts who say the journey of transgender transition leads to medical mutilation, depression, and for some, suicide as well.
