Open Letter to the Worcester County Board of Education:
Dear Worcester County Public Schools Board of Education,
The Youth Pride Association (YPA), a national nonprofit organization working to promote and foster the acceptance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) students in educational institutions, is in staunch opposition to the anti-LGBTQ proposals made at your school board meeting on November 21st, 2023.
Any proposal made to restrict student’s access to age-appropriate books would undoubtedly place significant restrictions on access to books containing LGBTQ characters, themes, and stories. Nearly half of all book challenges last year were books that had LGBTQ characters, stories, and themes according to the American Library Association. Segregating books because they contain information or subjects you do not personally agree with is not grounds for their exclusion from libraries. Censorship driven by personal ideology is not in the best interest of students, teachers, parents, or your community.
Any such proposal would be in direct violation of Title IX and Bostock v. Clayton County, prohibiting discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation in any education program or activity offered by a recipient of federal assistance, of which your district is a recipient.
We also urge the school board to make no considerations to adopt any proposal that would violate a student's right to live with dignity. The suggested restrictions to transgender students' access to restrooms and sports that align with their gender identity would violate the Maryland State Constitution, as per M.A.B v. Board of Education Talbot County, as well as non-discrimination protections afforded to LGBTQ students by Title IX and Bostock v. Clayton County.
The discourse during your last meeting exposed the true desires of those making these proposals. They want to segregate, isolate, and erase LGBTQ students from your schools. They want to target LGBTQ students. They want to ensure LGBTQ students continue to feel alienated in your classrooms. The success of all students should be your focus, not the creation of harmful school policies aligned with hate groups.
We urge you not to proceed with any actions that will harm LGBTQ students. We welcome an open dialogue with you on how we can better support and protect LGBTQ students in your classrooms.
Respectfully,
Cameron Bartosiewicz
President
Youth Pride Association
About Youth Pride Association
The Youth Pride Association (YPA) is a national nonprofit organization working to promote and foster the acceptance of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) people in educational institutions. YPA works to address the adversities LGBTQ youth face in schools through education, support, and advocacy.
Youth Pride Association's President, Cameron Bartosiewicz, is available for interviews.
(949) 755-7694
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