It is beyond me why the state of Indiana thinks it necessary to out students to their parents. You may have heard talk around school of the new Indiana State Law. Many teachers, students, and parents are concerned for transgender, non-binary, and genderqueer students’ well-being now that this bill is a law.

HB 1608 states that when a student requests a name or pronoun change at school, at least one parent must be notified that the student requested this change. Not only is this an attempt at suppressing students’ identities and their ability to make choices for themselves, but it could be even more dangerous than we are aware. 

The bill defines “sex” as “either male or female based on the individual’s genetics and reproductive biology at birth, including sex organs, chromosomes, and hormones, without regard to the gender that the individual experiences, identifies with, or expresses.” The state has no right to define what gender is to an individual and doing so could put trans students in jeopardy. 

28% of LGBTQIA+ youth have reported experiencing homelessness due to expressing how they identify. This means they make up 40% of the homeless youth population. I am terribly afraid that students will suppress their identities with trusted adults at school, in order to avoid being forced to come out to their families at home. Just because a student feels comfortable being out at school or with their peers does not mean they feel safe or ready to express themselves fully at home too. To whom the student comes out to and when should be the individual’s choice. HB1608 directly takes away this right. 

I acknowledge that many parents would want to know if their child is going through something as life-changing as being trans. The main reasoning behind HB 1608 is prioritizing parents’ influence on their children, specifically regarding sexuality. In response, many make the argument that they are simply trying to reduce the “spread” or normalization of transgender youth. State Rep. Michelle Davis released a statement saying, “Parents should not be cut out of decision-making.” Not only is sexuality and gender identity not a decision, but even so, it is not the parent’s “decision” to make. 

It must be noted that this is an enormous waste of time. At South, once a student tells their teacher their nickname, preferred name, or pronouns, this information must be processed. Principal Mark Fletcher said, “[the information] will go from student, to whomever, to the social worker, to a call, if that’s indeed what you do want to do. Then, the change is made, but your parents know. ” This includes nicknames. Just imagine the multitudes of people you know that shorten their names from Madeline to Maddie, Katherine to Kate, the list goes on and on. Each of these students’ parents receives communication that their child has asked to be called by their own name. What a ridiculous exertion of time and effort for everyone involved.  

School should be a safe place for all students to develop themselves academically as well as mentally/emotionally, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, etc. If anything, HB1608 threatens the safety of some students and will only increase the existing problem of mental health complications for trans youth.