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Resources for Transgender and Gen- der Non-Conforming at Tino
Student’s Perspective
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Transgender students from Cupertino High share their thoughts on some of the resources provided
TANVEE SAI
writer
Cupertino High School’s community of transgender and genderqueer students continue to be marginalized despite efforts from the school. CHS provides support and visibility for these individuals to a certain extent, but many of them have mixed feelings about the available resources. Conversations about resources provided for transgender students tend to focus largely on bathrooms. Nonbinary Cupertino High School junior Wilson (he/they) frequently uses the bathroom in the Wagon Wheel because it feels less othering than alternative bathroom options. “Everybody uses it so it’s more likely for people to go in there,” said Wilson. They also feel uncomfortable using the men’s restroom without a friend. If they are on their period, they would rather use the women’s restroom, due to a fear of discrimination in the men’s room.
Xaander Furey (they/them), a nonbinary junior at CHS, is able to use the gender neutral bathroom provided for cafeteria staff, but they also recognize that not everyone has that opportunity. “I think having gender neutral bathrooms [on campus] would be nice. And then having period products in all the bathrooms, not just the women’s,” said Furey. Though both Furey and Wilson feel there are not enough resources for transgender students on campus, other students believe that CHS provides adequate support for transgender and gender non-conforming students. “Apart from a locker room for nonbinary or gender non-conforming students, then yeah, [CHS provides appropriate resources] because I have seen a couple gender neutral bathrooms on campus,” said an anonymous transgender female student (she/her).
She also thinks that CHS provides a reasonably safe environment for transgender students. “Any nervousness I have had about using the restrooms, it’s because my mind assumed the worst and thought that if there are people inside and saw me I wouldn’t pass as female and they’d harass me for it, but I’ve yet to experience that and hope that I do not,” said the anonymous student. After coming out, she did not know how to ensure that she was referred to properly at CHS, so she reached out directly to Principal Kami Tomberlain, who directed her to a schoolbased therapist. In the end, she was able to change her name and pronouns in the school records.
Other students have had more negative experiences. Furey witnesses the use of slurs on campus about twice a month, as well as being constantly misgendered by staff members, and they do not feel like the school takes much action on their complaints. “I think [the school] just need[s] to enforce safety. Like, if someone’s getting harassed, they need to call it out instead of waiting for someone to get mad. [...] It should be the staff dealing with it, not students,” Furey said.
Another anonymous nonbinary student (they/them) was a member of the volleyball team for some time, and eventually quit partially because of the dysphoria they felt while playing under their assigned gender at birth.
They also experienced trouble with where to change at games and had to find solutions for themself. “I put my jersey under my shirt because I don’t want to, like have to deal with going into the women’s restroom,” said the student. Despite these setbacks, many students have had positive experiences with the Gender and Sexuality Alliance, and feel like it provides a safe space on campus. “GSA gave me a space to spend time with other LGBTQ+ people. And it gave me a community and I didn’t feel odd and weird, I guess. So it kind of was more welcoming,” said an anonymous student. Said another anonymous student, “[GSA] helped me feel like I wasn’t alone. [...] they are providing you with kind of like a safe space.” Although CHS is a somewhat supportive and inclusive environment for transgender and genderqueer students, some students feel that what is being shown right now is the bare minimum. Transgender and genderqueer students still continue to struggle with the lack of resources provided to them, but CHS’s past strides to supporting their transgender and genderqueer communities paint a more hopeful picture of what their future efforts will be
Teacher’s Perspective
Mx. Hsu, a gender non conforming teacher and alumni on campus, shares changes and experiences
TARUNA ANIL
writer
Cupertino High School has seen many changes in the environment, available resources and education for transgender or genderqueer students and staff on campus. The efforts, productive or unproductive, have been evident throughout the years and a point of discussion for many.
One significant resource CHS provides for students is the gender-neutral bathrooms in the CHS Wagon Wheel. Though the restrooms are inclusive to all genders, those who wish to use it have faced constant difficulties accessing them. Esther Hsu (they/them), a gender non-conforming English teacher at CHS, notes how the inaccessibility to the restroom communicates a more profound message of what needs to be changed at Tino.
“I know that we’re trying, but where we are now is not where I’d like to see us. I know we have gender-neutral bathrooms for students, for example, in the Wagon Wheel, but that door is always locked for some reason. There are times where I have students coming into my room and being like, ‘Hey, can you contact somebody to get that unlocked?’” Hsu added. “We [need to] follow through on these resources, because [not having] those things available is really [harming] a lot of our students.”
While speaking about transitioning from being a high school student, college student, and eventually staff member, Hsu highlighted the difference in resources available to them as the years went by. As a college student at UC Davis and San Jose State University, they noticed that more resources were available to them in those environments than at CHS.
Contrasting their experience at CHS, they said, “I definitely knew about a lot more r e “ I KNOW THAT WE’RE TRYING, BUT WHERE WE ARE NOW IS
NOT WHERE I’D LIKE TO
SEE US. ESTHER HSU”
sources [in college], because there was an LGBTQIA resource center that I would frequent quite often. And that center was able to inform me of all of these different resources that we had at UC Davis and even at SJSU.”
As a teacher, Hsu is not aware of any specific resources available to LGBTQ+ staff members that would provide extra support and safety. Said Hsu, “I think that the most important thing right now that I can think of is educating staff members on campus [...] I think the lack of education for teachers is something that is very much needed. In terms of specific resources, I can’t think of anything besides that.”
Teachers are currently included under the umbrella of Title IX, which was passed by the Department of Education. This amendment prohibits discrimination against any person on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. However, school districts do not have an obligation to provide LGBTQ+ resources to teachers. GLSEN, an organization dedicated to protecting LGBTQ+ students, lists a multitude of possible resources for staff, including trans-inclusive health benefits, gender diversity training, protocols for reporting discrimination, and more.
After returning to CHS as a staff member, the changes CHS has made to be more inclusive to LGBTQ+ students became apparent to Hsu. “I think [a change] is Sex Ed, [the curriculum is] trying to be more inclusive,” Hsu began. “Something that I was really surprised about was with homecoming court. When I was here on campus, we would call them homecoming kings and queens. And it was very binary. I was surprised to see that they changed it to royalty instead, and that was something I wasn’t aware that they changed.”
While Hsu appreciates the long way CHS has come, they still believe that these actions must be taken further for both students and staff. “I feel like a lot of our staff members and our students are ill-equipped with being an ally for transgender [and gender] non-conforming students. And so, [definitely] a lot of education is needed. I feel like a lot of it is like ignorance on campus about this, and also just [people] not thinking before they talk, things like that.”
Bathroom Resources
Cupertino High offers two gender-neutral bathrooms in the wagon wheel that anyone can use regardless of gender identity or expression
Through FUHSD, any student can change their name and gender on non-state-related school documents an unlimited amount of times without needing parental approval. However, the change will not affect any federal procedures and parents will be able to see the changed name on Infinite Campus/Schoology
Cupertino High offers GSA(Gender Sexuality Alliance), a club that provides a safe space for all LGBT+ students at school and helps them feel that they belong. Meetings are every Monday in Ms. Ray’s room(213), and club meetings are split half-half between being social and activism-based
The Trevor Project is a suicide prevention organization for members of the LGBT+ community between ages 13 and 24. Resources, safe online chats with other members of the LGBT+ community, and 24/7 hotlines are offered through its site, thetrevorproject.org
A drop-in center in the area is Youth Space, a place to connect with other LGBT+ people living in Santa Clara County. Both in-person groups and online(video chat) groups are offered
Point of Pride offers free binders and femme shapewear to anyone around the world who is unable to obtain them, whether for safety or financial reasons. Anyone older than 13 can request through pointofpride.org
Gender Spectrum’s website contains articles dedicated to helping people of all ages understand gender. Online consulting and groups are also offered; for more information, visit genderspectrum.org
If harassed/mistreated by peers or administration, reporting to the U.S. Department of Education is always an option. This can be done by filing a report through the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, which “carefully reviews allegations from anyone regardless of gender identity or sexuality.” Title IX also provides protection for all, including LGBTQ+, students who experience sexual violence or assault
