Letter to Editor and Draft Initiative Education and Politics

EDUCATION AND POLITICS

Education and Politics: Letter to Editor and Draft Initiative

Dear Editor

I am writing this letter to persuade other registered voters to sign a petition or, traditionally, provide support in generating an initiative for facilitating the youth health of LGBTQ school children. I believe we should all become a force in assisting this specific child segment of the population, particularly in Arizona, so that their early age health and adolescence years could be protected against sexual discrimination.

Despite having passed numerous bills across the country for the rights of the LGBTQ community, Arizona is still resisting providing gender-affirming healthcare to its LGBTQ students in schools (Forquer, 2022). The state does not seem to be banning sexual discrimination in schools for the use of school bathrooms, sitting in classrooms and participating in sports, etc. Even the schools do not contribute to developing all-inclusive curriculums for LGBTQ students, hence signifying clear discrimination that would pose a psychological health risk for such youth (Dale, 2019).

Even Arizona law mentions some clear discriminatory clauses (in Article VII) within its law, such as the word ‘citizen’ should proclaim either male or female voters (Arizona State Legislature, 2022). It could be inferred that if an initiative is to be generated, it should include either of these sexes only, which is an unfairness in the law itself. Moreover, the educational clauses in Arizona law (in Article XI) only mention two sexes and their admission and do not cite LGBTQ students (Arizona State Legislature, 2022).

Several parents of such children have shown their disappointment; for instance, a mother of a transgender girl was not allowed to play girls’ sports team at her school as the mother only wanted her child to be normal and live ‘as humanly as possible’ (Forquer, 2022). Reports have been devastating reading the discrimination that LGBTQ students have to face at school, stating 42% of the people from ages 13 tears to 24 years have committed suicide in the last year, whereas 52% of the transgender youth were at risk of serious implications of mental health (Forquer, 2022).

It is sad to observe that the U.S. Constitution did not make any amendments recently when the updated information was recently released (“The Constitution of U.S.,” n.a.). There is no mention of educational clauses; the LGBTQ issue would have far gone a thought. With the rise in the proportion of LGBTQ students in the population, it has become mandatory to develop laws and generate complaints against those who do not support the prohibition of discriminatory treatment and harassment of transgender school students. School leaders and managers need to come forward with the public’s support, especially the registered voters, to sign a petition to address this issue that has not been in the limelight, or Arizona lawmakers do not want it to be in the first place. Leaders should foster an environment for anti-discrimination policies, especially at educational institutes that are places of enlightenment and not of fear (Seals & Gonzales, 2019). Bullying, social isolation, and unwelcoming treatment would adversely affect this youth’s health, which would become an economic burden for the government.

Therefore, it is requested that an initiative be originated for the identified educational issue as I feel it needs serious attention to our youth’s physical and mental health. The plan could include signing a repetition from some registered voters, which could be contacted through emails, posting some instigating posts on social media platforms to prompt them to come forward for the cause, or randomly going to their doors to ask for the favor. Approximately 5% of the registered voters in Arizona would be called out for signing the initiative to create an impact on the Arizona law amendment for the inclusion of transgender students in education.