Gender and sex education are widely debated in Michigan communities. At the same time, transgender people continue to suffer from high rates of bullying, violence and suicide.
Rachel Crandall-Crocker founded Transgender Michigan in 1997: Her organization was the first in the nation to offer a trans help line.
“Before I came out I was really isolated and it was really affecting my mental health,” she said.
Crandall says when she was a child, support resources for trans people like her were non-existent.
“I tried to come out to my parents when I was only eight and they had a very negative reaction," Crandall said. "They told me that was the dirtiest thing I could say.”
She went back into the closet for 25 years before accepting herself, creating her non-profit and eventually founding the International Trans Day of Visibility, which is celebrated all over the world. Crandall said trans acceptance starts with educating children about diversity and respect from a young age.
LGBTQ plus students in Midland recently addressed their school board about this issue, advocating for education about pronouns and the gender spectrum.
Matt Smith is a psychologist who works in the Farwell school district, a small rural area where he says there are a handful of students that have completed paperwork to legally change their gender identity.
“A lot of the members of school boards are people that are very influential in the community, but may not be up to date on a lot of the a lot of the trends and a lot of things that are occurring within the youth population,” Smith said.
Some parents say students are too young to learn about gender-related topics. They say schools should focus on academics. Smith said with time and education, people will become more receptive to understanding the struggles of the LGBTQ plus community.
“Whether people agree with it or don't agree with it, just, having an open mind and listening to that information that they want to provide and educate others on, I think is really important," he said.
Avoiding discussion about gender identity can harm the mental health of trans youth, according to Smith. He says Farwell recently instituted a gay straight alliance club, a resource for LGBTQ+ students to find and support one another.
“I think a lot of it's just the education and kind of learning about the differences and how to support them,” Smith said.
The club is a place where straight and cisgender students can support the LGBTQ+ community by listening and learning.
Harm endured by the trans community can be minimized by uplifting their accomplishments, having open discussions and educating one another about the existence of trans and gender non-conforming identities.
