Sen. Scott Wiener, center, rallied alongside other city officials, parents, and families in support of transgender youth on Friday, Jan. 31, in San Francisco. (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)
San Francisco’s leaders reaffirmed the city’s commitment to protecting transgender students on Friday after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday that threatened to withhold federal funding from schools recognizing trans identities.
“These are real human beings who are just trying to live their lives, and they’re not doing harm to anyone,” state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said during a press conference on Friday. “They’re just living their lives, and they’re being targeted and demonized. It’s despicable.”
Trump’s directive prohibits public schools from assisting students in their transition, which includes referring to a student by a name other than their birth name. Transgender youth are also barred from bathrooms and sports teams that do not align with their biological sex.
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It is one of several anti-transgender and “anti-woke” orders signed by Trump that have received backlash from state officials and residents who feel that the directives malign public schools and expose transgender youth to harm.
Trump’s most recent order instructs the U.S. Attorney General to partner with state attorneys general and local district attorneys to identify K–12 teachers who continue to advocate for transgender recognition and inclusive policies. Wiener and other city officials said they would resist.
“San Francisco public schools are at the forefront of celebrating diversity among our students and affirming the rights of all our students, regardless of their identity, background or life experience,” said Maria Su, superintendent of San Francisco Unified School District. “We have never shied away from leading the charge in San Francisco when it comes to making sure our classrooms and schools are vibrant and welcoming spaces for our students.”
Su said the district is committed to protecting its teachers and students and that faculty will continue educating students in an inclusive manner. She said the Trump administration’s anti-transgender rhetoric is anathema to what the district stands for.
Minda Murphy, center, speaks against the Trump administration’s recent executive order banning federal funds from schools that support transgender youth as her 15-year-old, nonbinary child, Kanoa Wilson, listens on Jan. 31, in San Francisco. (Juan Carlos Lara/KQED)
City Attorney David Chiu said Wednesday’s order violates constitutional protections for transgender people and youth. He said San Francisco will continue to recognize the transgender community and their right to gender-affirming health care.
“Donald Trump has spent the first two weeks of his presidency sowing hate and division,” Chiu said during the press conference. “Trans people have been and will always be vital members of our communities and our families. No executive order will ever change that.”
Minda Murphy, who is the parent of a nonbinary student in San Francisco, said Trump’s narrative about exploitative teachers and harmful gender ideologies is not only false but detrimental to transgender youth. Supportive schools and educators are vital to a child’s well-being, she added.
“Donald Trump has chosen to target these children, including my wonderful child, with executive orders filled with ignorance, misinformation, bigotry and hatred,” Murphy said. “As a result of these executive orders, President Trump will be killing children.”
Under Trump’s directive, schools will also be required to teach a “patriotic” curriculum that celebrates United States history and the country’s founding principles. Nicholas Hite, an attorney at the nonprofit Lambda Legal, said the federal government has no jurisdiction over what educators teach their students, especially when it comes to revisionist versions of the country’s legacy.
Hite added that while public schools do receive some funding from the federal government, Trump’s administration has no legal authority to place restrictions or stipulations on money that’s already been earmarked for specific purposes, such as books or buses. He said courts that correctly apply the law will consider the order unlawful.
State legislators and attorneys are preparing to challenge the order if federal agencies move to enforce it. Lawmakers are also considering legislation that would protect vulnerable communities from attacks by Trump’s administration.
“It’s profoundly hypocritical that an executive administration that spent so much time railing against the evils of government overreach now has the nerve to turn around and think it’s allowed to reach into every classroom across the country and control what is said,” Hite said. “The hypocrisy of that is mind-boggling.”
KQED’s Juan Carlos Lara and Cami Dominguez contributed to this report.
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