Dueling protests regarding the rights of transgender students emerged outside the Baltimore County Board of Education’s meeting Tuesday night.
A group of parents and children with the group P.A.S.S. (Parental Alliance for Safer Schools in Baltimore County) gathered to protest the county’s policy that follows federal mandates allowing transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity. The group also wants Baltimore County to force trans athletes to compete on teams that match the gender on their birth certificates, rather than their gender identity.
They were met with a larger group of counterprotesters, who showed up to the meeting to voice support for trans students and Baltimore County Public Schools’ policy supporting them.
The P.A.S.S. protesters included a group of Loyola-Blakefield students in their athletic team uniforms. Loyola-Blakefield is a private Catholic all-boys school for grades 6-12, whose rules are not impacted by the Baltimore County Board of Education policy.
Kayla Drummond, who is the Student Member of the Board of Education, told Fishbowl in an email that she was not aware of the protest, though she was also not surprised by them. She encouraged the protesters to stay “peaceful and proficient in stating their cause while staying respectful to each party.”
Regarding the position of P.A.S.S., Drummond wrote, “Although their position is not mine personally, I do not discount their opinion and appreciate them speaking their minds and sharing another perspective.”
Ian Bravo, who attended the counterprotest Tuesday, told Baltimore Fishbowl he estimated the P.A.S.S. group had approximately 30 people from the photos he took. Estimates on the number of counterprotesters ranged from between 60 and 85 people. There were children in each group.
Bravo said he joined the counterprotesters because he is trans, and when he was in high school he had to fight for the opportunity to compete on the teams he wanted to play on.
“Thankfully, I had a positive experience where I was able to be with my peers and I had somewhat of an accepting school that allowed me to align with my own gender identity,” Bravo said. “But there are other children out there who are being harassed by these adults and the main purpose of us standing out here … is allowing these kids to see that there is someone who’s willing to defend them when they’re going in there. Because there were kids in there that were willing to speak about their own experiences against adults who want them to have negative experience. So our presence was mainly so that when they’re walking in there, they can see that there are people who do have their back.”
Inside the meeting, during the public comments section, one speaker spoke against current BCPS policy which allows trans students to choose a bathroom, locker, and sports team that aligns with their gender. She asked what to tell an 11- or 12-year-old girl who “complained to their athletic director or principal that it’s unfair for them to have to run and swim against a male athlete who says he feels like a girl.” She also asked about “lack of privacy” for the girls having to “use the locker room with this male student.” When this speaker finished, she was met with silence from the audience.
Six speakers spoke in favor of current BCPS policy supporting trans students, including Delegate Cheryl E. Pasteur; TABCO (Teachers Association of Baltimore County) representative Helen Groves; a student representative from the Baltimore County Junior Councils; and Ramona Basilio from the PTA Council of Baltimore County. Each of these speakers received applause from the attendees.
Fergal Mullally, a parent of two children in BCPS schools said, “The self-described group of concerned parents outside do not speak for this parent. They don’t speak for my children. In fact, they don’t speak for my family or many of the families I’ve talked to about this. They’re outside shouting about protecting all children and lord knows my children need protection from an awful lot of things. The list is endless. Transgender kids is not on that list. Not in the classroom, not in the bathroom, not on sports fields. Board policy places inclusion and equity among the foundational educational goals. And I thank you all for your continued efforts for making sure that every child feels welcome in our schools.”
Baltimore County Public Schools and Loyola-Blakefield have not responded to Baltimore Fishbowl’s requests for comment.
