The Elk Grove United School District adopted a resolution on March 3 to annually recognize March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility.

Resolution No. 71, which officially recognizes March 31 as a day to provide a safe climate and raise awareness about transgender people, passed on a 6-1 vote. One day earlier, the 6-3 U.S. Supreme Court’s emergency order in Mirabelli v. Bonta ruled that parents have a constitutional right to be informed about their children’s gender expression at school as the primary protectors.

The federal emergency ruling blocks a California education policy that restricts teachers from informing a student’s gender expression to parents. Schools now must inform parents about a student’s gender expression when requested by the parents, which puts students in a position to be visible at home even though they are not yet ready.

With the federal court’s new mandate, Elk Grove Unified Trustee Delia Baulwin addressed the impact on the Elk Grove Unified School District and said the district is going to follow the law. Then, regarding the transgender resolution, she said:

“It’s not a policy. It’s really an honorable mention.”

Baulwin, a trustee who voted yes on Resolution No. 71, described the resolution as a note to the community to define the district’s values and not a resolution against the federal law.

“Ultimately, all that resolution comes down to is saying, ‘Hey, if you are a trans student, we accept you, you’re welcome here,’” Baulwin said. “It really just comes down to what’s best for kids and honoring and recognizing all children for who they are and being their authentic self.”

During the March 3 board meeting, Baulwin reiterated the role of adults in the community is to make a safe place for students. She added that the district’s goal is to ensure students feel safe enough to reach their highest potential.

Trustee Susan Davis also supported the resolution to deliver the message to the transgender community that their experience matters.

“Equity means we do not pick and choose which students are worthy of support,” Davis said. “It means we create space for all voices, all paths and all identities.”

Davis also said the district will implement efforts moving forward, such as partnering up with student organizations and school staff to host student panels and guest speakers. She also emphasized the importance of professional development for educators and staff to support and equip students with confidence.

On the other hand, a group of community members and a member of the board added a dissenting opinion about how the Transgender Day of Visibility will create vulnerability for transgender students who may be considering medical gender transitioning.

The process of medical gender transition includes healthcare interventions such as hormone therapy, puberty blockers or surgeries to align a person’s physical body with their gender identity.

Layla Jane, a detransitioner who began to socially transition at age 11, followed by puberty blockers and a double mastectomy by age 13, is now living with medical complications. She urged the trustees during the public comment to not recognize the Transgender Day of Visibility.

“Bodies are healthy as they are – feelings can change,” Jane said during the March 3 board meeting. “Keep students focused on education neutral of ideology and be protective of every child’s mind and developing body.”

One board member, trustee Heidi Moore, voted against the resolution, noting that stories like Jane’s are becoming more common and should not be ignored.

Hers was the only no vote on the resolution, noting that the resolution will be redundant because the district already recognizes Pride Month.

“I really question if this is appropriate,” Moore said at the board meeting. “I worry about our participation in the  social transition of minors when it can lead to a path of irreversible medicalization and complications.”

Another public speaker during the board meeting, David Balog, supported the resolution. Balog argued that the Transgender Day of Visibility will bring full transparency for parents with the Supreme Court’s recent emergency ruling in Mirabelli v. Bonta.

“It’s time for you to invite the parents that you have been keeping a secret from with secret plans of social transition and show them what’s been going on with their children and come clean with them about what’s happening,” Balog said. 

Balog said the Supreme Court’s emergency order, alongside the district’s resolution, will prevent the route of medicalization that can harm children.

Zi Zhong, the student board member of the district, focused on the immediate emotional environment for students on campus. Zhong, who is part of the LGBTQ+ community, argued that the resolution provides a sense of humanity to the community.

“I think visibility highlights everybody’s own uniqueness and what makes them each a person,” Zhong said. “And I think adding visibility also humanizes each other … it brings humanity in times where it could feel like we lack humanity.”

Zhong said the goal of this resolution is not about the legal conflict, but to celebrate and ensure the minority students can feel seen by their school community. He also noted how acceptance and visibility are flip sides of the same coin, that visibility will allow feelings of acceptance.

“The definition of visibility is that you’re no longer invisible,” Zhong said. “When you feel accepted, you feel empowered, and you feel more motivation to achieve more in your life.”

As Elk Grove Unified School District starts to implement the resolution this year under the new orders of the Mirabelli v. Bonta ruling, Zhong said he hopes that the district will continue to accept a diverse student population.

“I’m proud to say that we’re a district that does not dim the lights on our LGBTQ community,” Zhong said. “And instead, we celebrate them.”