Representative Brostoff Speaks Out Against Offensive Attack on Transgender Rights
“This is despicable. It makes me sick, angry, and ashamed that this is the business our state is conducting.”
MADISON – Representative Jonathan Brostoff (D- Milwaukee) expressed deep concern with a GOP bill that would facilitate and perpetuate discrimination and an otherwise hostile environment within Wisconsin’s schools.
“This is the new focus for intolerant legislators in their attacks on Wisconsin’s LGBT+ community. Having recently lost their fight against marriage equality, Republicans now know both popular sentiment and the courts are against them telling our neighbors who they can love. Now they have shifted their focus to attacking our transgender youth,” Representative Brostoff said.
Respondents to a survey reported on by the Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law found over 40% of people who are transgender have attempted suicide. This is in contrast with suicide attempts by 4.6% of the overall U.S. population and 10-20% of gay, lesbian, or bisexual adults. Within the past year at least one adult, a Milwaukee Public School teacher, and two Wisconsin teens, Cameron Langrell and Skylar Lee, have fallen to suicide after being bullied for their gender identities.
“This is a hate-filled and tragic attempt by the Republicans to shift focus away from their failed actions such as the WEDC scandal, refusing federal dollars for BadgerCare expansion, and the $250 million wound they inflicted on our UW system,” Brostoff continued. “This is despicable. It makes me sick, angry, and ashamed that this is the business our state is conducting. As with all children, especially populations that have been made to feel vulnerable and unsafe, we should be working to compassionately support them as they discover who they are and make their way through the world.”
A recent Canadian study found having supportive parents dropped the suicide rate in the transgender population by 57% and legal documentation consistent with their gender identity dropped the rate by 44%. It is reasonable to expect that having affirmation of who they are in school, such as access to the appropriate restroom or changing area, would similarly reduce this risk for youth who are transgender.
Representative Brostoff says he will continue to support our transgender neighbors across the state.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Rep. Jonathan Brostoff
Nowhere in this press release is there any information about the bill or how it affects anybody’s rights. All we learned is that Jonathan is upset about it.
You guys post some incredibly inane shit here sometimes.
This statement coming out less than 24 hours after the story broke of incidents at this college campus’ gender neutral bathrooms: http://www.dailywire.com/news/330/university-toronto-dumps-transgender-bathrooms-pardes-seleh
We don’t see any issues with allowing teenagers in high school, who are confused about sexuality even in the best of circumstances, to inter mingle with members of the opposite sex? You can’t trust teenagers to handle these situations well… they’re too immature and incidences are bound to come up. Barring someone from entering locker rooms and bathrooms of the opposite sex is not discrimination… it’s common sense when dealing with teenagers.
sophie–check out rep. jesse kremer’s newsletter—-he and rep. steve nass are promoting this bill
you should detect the meanness, distain, and desire to throw transgendered youth literally to the wolves to be ground up and destroyed by the school bullies
they claim, of course, safety as their objective—-the consequences will be more battery, violence, and death.
Perhaps they might instead pass a bill mandating the teaching and enforcing of RESPECT. There are already effective education programs centered on anti-bullying and Respect.
Hey AG, tell that to these kids. http://www.milwaukeemag.com/2015/09/28/in-a-state-of-transition-teaser/
But yes let’s make sure we protect the straight kids. Makes a lot of sense. These kids are already being ostracized and bullied every day at school, but let’s make sure we single them out and stigmatize them in order to make sure straight kids are safe from them.