The discussion of President Trump’s decision to withdraw from Obama’s guidelines that allowed transgender students the freedom to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity, under Title IX protecting students from discrimination based on their sex, was a highly salacious hot-topic. After a Google search in order to discover more articles regarding this action by Mr. Trump, I struggled to find an article released after February 24, 2017. This goes to prove that this, at the time monumental, political move has already faded from the media’s eye. However, this is a still mentioned throughout the ongoing fight and narrative surrounding transgender rights. From the point of view of the LGBTQ community and advocates this withdrawal is a major step back in civil rights, but conservatives believe this is a simply loosening the grip the federal government has on public schools.
An article posted on MSN news by Moriah Balingit, Emma Brown, and Sandhya Somashekhar of the Washington Post encourages sympathy for transgender students. This article is more left-leaning, which is represented through supportive statements for the Obama administration and skepticism towards the Trump administration. Another article from Fox news, a right-leaning source, written by Ryan Gaydos shows more support for Trump and is hopeful for his future plans regarding transgender students in public schools as a result of his withdrawal. To begin, both contrasting articles feature a quote from White House spokesman Sean Spicer, but the context surrounding the quotes differs. After withdrawing from the Obama administration’s guidelines, Spicer said, “I think that all you have to do is look at what the president’s view has been for a long time, that this is not something that the federal government should be involved in, this is a states’ rights issue.” The MSN article follows this quote with an explanation of Obama’s strides in transgender rights and suggests that even though Trump supported gay and transgender rights throughout his campaign, his actions are representative of typical conservative values. The article continues to explain negative implications of Trump’s withdrawal and victimize transgender students while demonizing this legislation. In the Fox article, the context of the quote implies that this has always been Trump’s viewpoint so his withdrawal should not be surprising. This seems to be an attempt to shift responsibility when it comes to supporting transgender rights from President Trump, as he claimed throughout his campaign, to states.
The narrative of the Fox article focuses on the effects this policy change will have on states and school administrators. It also refers to an interview with Trump where he explains that this will only affect a “tiny, tiny” percentage of the population. He further explains that he just simply does not have an opinion on this issue and that he would prefer the states to decide. The article ends with an attempt at positivity that schools could simply work out a “win-win” solution at a local level. The narrative of MSN is vastly different. It is extremely sympathetic of transgender students in public schools, and claims this withdrawal is stripping transgender students of their rights. This article focuses on stories from parents of transgender students and the students themselves explaining how this legislation roll-back will affect their lives. These are the two major opposing narratives I have discovered will reading about Trump’s decision.
Balingit, M., Brown, E., & Somashekhar, S. (2017, February 22). Trump administration poised to change transgender student bathroom guidelines. The Washington Post. Retrieved from: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-administration-poised-to-change-transgender-student-bathroom-guidelines/ar-AAnbJVx
Gaydos, R. (2017, February 22). Trump administration working on new transgender bathroom directive. Fox News. Retrieved from: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/22/trump-administration-working-on-new-transgender-bathroom-directive.html
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