butters
High on a Hill
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2009
- Posts
- 85,785
as if from danger in a burning house, or at risk of being bitten by a rattlesnake....
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a...pc=U531&cvid=5202ff059fb14ab3c6150f596a1bc5a3
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a...pc=U531&cvid=5202ff059fb14ab3c6150f596a1bc5a3
Ashley Bakke, a parent of one of the transmasculine students who was given a letter, has pulled her son out of the school, citing a long pattern of bullying and harassment. Bakke told the paper that she met with WHS principal Brad Brandsrud Monday afternoon, but it was “akin to talking with a politician [...] It sounded like he was defending a friend.” According to the paper, Hillesland was still in the classroom as of Tuesday.
Other students also say there’s been little support for trans youth in Watertown, recalling that they were told to “be the bigger person” after receiving death threats or sexual harassment from their peers. “We've reported many things, but the most I’ve seen happen to the bullies is a 30-minute suspension,” one student told the paper.
South Dakota’s state government has passed several anti-trans laws this year, including a ban on trans girls in women’s sports as well as a sweeping ban on “divisive concepts” in classrooms that also targets the supposed spread of “critical race theory.”
As attacks on trans youth continue, it’s a critical time to support young people who just want the right to pursue their happiest, fullest selves — but sadly, it doesn’t look like Mr. Hillesland or his colleagues have been doing their homework.