“To achieve an equitable school system, we must unite and build a coalition stronger than those who would seek to frighten and silence us. More parents must step up to run for the community board to create a multitude of voices and perspectives.”

“You have to let trans kids live their lives,  be accepted in schools…they are human beings.”

These words, shared by a New York City public school teacher and parent of a transgender child at a recent Community Education Council meeting, strike at the heart of what should be an unshakable truth: all students deserve respect, care, and opportunity in our schools.

Here in the city, it’s easy to believe that we are a progressive, unshakeable sanctuary, one that will zealously safeguard the rights and dignities of all youth. And yet, the reality is much more precarious. This past year we have seen our fragile bubble come under siege by a deliberate, dogged campaign to dismantle the rights of queer students in school. Moreover, if the results of the election are any indication, there is no escaping that this culture war is intent on harming some of the most vulnerable youth in our schools.

The opening salvo was this past spring when the District 2 Community Education Council (CEC2), an area made up of the Financial District, Tribeca, West Village, Clinton, Midtown, Gramercy, and the Upper East Side, passed Resolution #248. It called for a comprehensive review of NYC Department of Education’s Guidelines on Gender that allowed transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports. This resolution was a poorly disguised effort to discriminate against transgender girls by preventing them from participating in sports. 

Despite eight months of vocal opposition from community members, parents, students, and elected officials, CEC2 has repeatedly rejected efforts to rescind this resolution, bolstered by the backing of anti-LGBTQ extremist groups like Moms for Liberty and Gays Against Groomers.  

This campaign is about to get that much fiercer as queer students here, and around the country, confront the impact of the Trump administration’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies, both in and out of school. With the bevy of bans on gender-affirming care, sex-education, and curriculum, there also looms the threat of a new, potentially more harmful Title IX rule that could roll back civil rights and threaten the safety and well-being of LGBTQ+ students, creating a hostile environment in schools. 

The signs of just how devastating this will be for young students in our school is clear. In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory, LGBTQ+ crisis hotline The Rainbow Youth Project reported a staggering 700 percent increase in calls, compared to the 800 calls they receive in a typical month. District 2 Superintendent Kelly McGuire reported that during the 2023-2024 school year, there were only 51 allegations of bullying and harassment related to gender and LGBTQ+ expression in its schools; however, she failed to mention the prior year’s report which found 1,329 incidents of discrimination, intimidation, harassment, and bullying, many of which were driven by gender-based hostility. 

Though many students choose not to report incidents, the significance of these numbers in this seemingly progressive part of the city cannot be understated. The message we’re sending these and all students when we fail to curb these incidents is that they must contend with a school climate that is inherently unsafe. As one witness to the CEC meeting noted: “The belief that safety can be achieved through isolation, fear, or hatred is a dangerous fallacy.”

As we prepare for the challenges ahead, we can find a sliver of hope in the recent passage of Proposition 1, an Equal Rights Amendment that safeguards LGBTQ+ New Yorkers from future state laws seeking to undermine their constitutional and human rights to equal treatment. However, we know that this policy alone is not enough. 

On Nov. 20, or Transgender Day of Remembrance, progressive CEC2 members, Trans formative Schools, and ACT UP advocates made another attempt to rescind the contentious Resolution #248, with student members as co-sponsors. They also introduced Resolution #265 to grant student members binding voting power. However, after heated debate, both resolutions ultimately failed, leaving the council divided. 

These community meetings, that once focused on practical school matters, now stretch for hours amid disruptions, protests, arguments, and public dissent. At the heart of the chaos, CEC2 Member Maud Maron, the architect behind this resolution and the fervent push to cast out queer and trans students, dismisses the uproar as theatrical histrionics. Ironically, as she spoke, she wore a black trucker hat emblazoned with the logo of “XX-XY Athletics”—a clothing company that champions the idea that “women’s sports need to remain female.”

To achieve an equitable school system, we must unite and build a coalition stronger than those who would seek to frighten and silence us. More parents must step up to run for the community board to create a multitude of voices and perspectives. The community must elect leaders who prioritize inclusion and the well-being of all, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

As the parent of a trans child in District 2 NYC Public Schools testified, “The world is watching. How do you want to be remembered? Will you be among those who, out of fear, roll over and abandon core values?”

Now is the time to rise to this moment, reject the hateful rhetoric sweeping across the nation, and refuse to let hidden bigots be emboldened—be a champion of inclusivity.

Amy Leipziger is the project director, and CJ King a policy intern, at the Free to Be Youth Project of the Urban Justice Center.