Tennessee’s anti-trans “bathroom bill” could cost the state millions of dollars in federal funding if it becomes law, says Tennessee Attorney General Herbert Slatery — and this may spell doom for the measure, according to some of its opponents.

The recently resurrectedHouse Bill 2414, which would bar transgender students in Tennessee public schools from using the restrooms, locker rooms, and other sex-segregated facilities that comport with their gender identity, would conflict with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Slatery said in an opinion issued today, reports The Tennessean, Nashville’s daily newspaper.

The U.S. Department of Education has held that because Title IX forbids sex discrimination in schools that receive federal funds, it also bans discrimination based on gender identity or expression. Tennessee receives about $3 billion a year in federal funding for public elementary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities.

“In sum, if a transgender student is required by a school district in Tennessee to use a restroom or locker room facility that is consistent with his or her anatomical gender rather than his or her gender expression or gender identity, and if that student files a complaint, DOE, applying its current interpretation of Title IX, will almost certainly require the school district to permit the student access to the facility consistent with his or her gender expression, and refusal to do so could very well result in loss of federal funding — at least until DOE’s interpretation is overruled by authoritative and binding judicial decision,” Slatery wrote in the opinion.

Two state representatives, Democrat Mike Stewart and Republican Harry Brooks, had asked the attorney general to analyze the bill’s implications. Stewart, in a press conference today, said Slatery’s opinion is the “final nail in the coffin” for the legislation, The Tennessean reports.

“The fact that the attorney general has recognized that this will result in significantly reduced federal funds for the state of Tennessee should put an end to the discussion about this bill,” Stewart said.

Whether it will remains to be seen, but a growing number of celebrities, corporate leaders, and others have denounced the bill, which the House Education Administration and Planning Committee last week decided to reconsider after having sent it to summer study. That committee approved it and sent it on to the Senate Finance, Ways, and Means Committee, which is scheduled to discuss it Tuesday.

Country singer and actor Billy Ray Cyrus, the father of pansexual music star and LGBT activist Miley Cyrus, today joined the chorus condemning the legislation. “As a friend and a dad ... I’ve witnessed this fight from the very beginning,” he said, according to The Tennessean.“I think everyone should be treated equal. We’ve come too far; we can’t mess this up.”

Other opponents from the entertainment world, business, and labor, the paper reports, include Chris Carmack, Desmond Child, Emmylou Harris, Chely Wright, Ty Herndon, Dow Chemical Co., Hewlett-Packard, Alcoa, Choice Hotels International, Viacom, the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees Local 492. Gov. Bill Haslam has expressed concerns about the bill jeopardizing federal funding but hasn’t said whether he would sign and veto it, and Nashville Mayor Megan Barry has denounced it on both human rights and economic grounds.

The Human Rights Campaign today called on Tennessee lawmakers to heed Slatery’s warning. “We hope that Tennessee’s elected officials hear Attorney General Herbert Slatery’s clear message — the state’s discriminatory, anti-transgender legislation will jeopardize crucial federal funding for the state’s public schools,” said a statement released by HRC senior vice president of policy and political affairs JoDee Winterhof. “Any compassionate person can see how cruel this legislation targeting transgender children is. But this warning from the state’s top lawyer also makes clear that the terrible bill puts millions of federal education dollars in peril, risking the quality of education received by every single student attending Tennessee’s public schools.”

Tenn. AG: Anti-Trans Bill Will 'Almost Certainly' Cost Millions

Tenn. AG: Anti-Trans Bill Will 'Almost Certainly' Cost State Millions

On any other day, there’s nothing empowering about silence.

On any other day, silence is a symbol for oppression, inaction or avoidance. “Silencing” is synonymous with shutting down or leaving behind. In the '80s, silence equaled death. On every other day of the year, silence is forced upon LGBT people and their allies in their schools, at their workplaces, in their communities, and even through their state legislatures.

But not today.

Today is the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network’s Day of Silence, an annual silent protest of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment. Each year, tens of thousands of students participate by taking a daylong vow of silence at school and sharing speaking cards that raise awareness of anti-LGBT bullying.

The Day of Silence was first observed in 1996, when students at the University of Virginia held a day of silence as part of a class project on nonviolent protest. GLSEN became the official Day of Silence sponsor in 2000. And since then, hundreds of thousands of students have participated in the Day of Silence to show their solidarity with LGBT students and raise awareness of anti-LGBT bullying and harassment.

The landscape of LGBT rights has changed dramatically since the Day of Silence was established, particularly in the last few years. We celebrated when the Supreme Court approved marriage equality, and we cheer when LGBT people appear on magazine covers, but we know that the LGBT rights movement is far from finished. From discriminatory state laws to bullying at school, it’s clearer than ever that LGBT students still face a host of inequalities and injustices.

According to GLSEN’s latest National School Climate Survey, nearly nine out of 10 LGBT students reported being verbally or physically harassed at school in the past year. In North Carolina and Mississippi, the rights of transgender students to express their true gender identities and safely use the school bathroom are being compromised. In Tennessee, a high school Gay-Straight Alliance is facing undue hurdles from local policy makers simply for existing.

The Day of Silence is an answer to the anti-LGBT attitudes that propel these hateful incidents because it gives the power back to LGBT youth themselves. When GLSEN’s National Student Council, our team of 20 LGBT youth leaders, got together to talk about this year’s Day of Silence, they came to one important conclusion: GLSEN’s Day of Silence is a chance to reclaim silence as a tool of empowerment. Together, they agreed on a resounding message to encapsulate their participation in the Day of Silence this year: Silence is ours.

When LGBT students take back silence as their own today, they’ll be making a statement without saying a word — and this time, their silence won’t go unnoticed. Some students will face pushback or even disciplinary action from their school administration for using their First Amendment rights. Some will be harassed by their peers, who will goad them into speaking or taunt them for supporting LGBT students. Some will even be targeted by vicious hate groups, who conflate a silent anti-bullying protest with disturbing the peace.

In fact, it’s the very people who bully LGBT youth into silence year-round who will come out in droves to protest these students’ autonomy today. But thousands more supporters will come forward to ask questions, learn about the issue, and commend these students for their bravery. That’s what the Day of Silence is all about.

The Day of Silence was important when it was created 20 years ago, and it’s just as important today. Even in the face of unprecedented national victories for LGBT people, LGBT students still find themselves fighting for basic rights to a safe, inclusive and affirming education in communities all over the country. Nobody should be scared to go to school, but so many are. And that’s why today, LGBT students are choosing silence: to make those inequalities known.

If you’re participating in GLSEN’s Day of Silence, we invite you to add your name to the list of people taking action in solidarity with LGBT students. And if you’re an ally who’s not taking a vow of silence today, we encourage you to visit DayOfSilence.org to learn how you can support those who are.

On April 15, silence is chosen. Silence is power. Silence is strength. And for the students participating today, silence is theirs.

CAMILLE BEREDJICK is GLSEN's youth engagement associate.

Silence Is Power on This Day

We asked LGBT parents across the country: If you could give one tip to a queer person who wants to start a family, what would it be? Check out their answers, not to mention their adorable family photos. 

If You're Looking for Advice...

&nbsp

&nbsp

&nbsp

&nbsp

&nbsp

&nbsp

&nbsp

&nbsp

&nbsp

&nbsp

&nbsp

Frank Lowe

10 Tips for Starting Families From Families Who've Been There

We asked LGBT parents: If you could give one tip to a queer person who wants to start a family, what would it be?

Many have heard the staggering numbers when it comes to LGBT homelessness -- 200,000 queer youth on the streets; five percent of youth identify as LGBT, but they constitute 40 percent of homeless adolescents and young people.

A new documentary making the festival rounds, A Road to Home, tells the stories of six homeless youth, many of whom find solace in the city's Ali Forney Center. Watch an exclusive clip of the documentary below, featuring the story of 20-year-old Benjamin Smith.

WATCH: The Days and Nights of a Homeless Gay New Yorker

Intersectional Protesters at Clemson University Demand Diversity 

Intersectional Protesters at Clemson University Demand Diversity 

A group of anti-LGBT protesters upset over a new gender-neutral restroom at the Santee Education Complex near downtown Los Angeles shouted antigay slurs at students and administrators Tuesday but received a furious response from teenagers, according to new videos appearing on social media.

Holding up signs saying "Home Sex Is Sin" and riling up the crowd with a bullhorn, the homophobic group — which included a pastor — reportedly prodded the students by calling them slurs and saying, "Burn in hell, Santee." A recent video shows complete chaos, with a fight spilling into the streets. Police were called, but by the time they arrived the protesters had left the scene and no one was arrested or detained. Watch videos of the incident below.

A peaceful rally was held Wednesday evening, at which Santee was declared a "no-hate zone." 

The gender-neutral bathroom opened earlier this month. The restroom features 15 stalls and is open to everyone; the school's Gay-Straight Alliance advocated for the facility, noting that many students identify as neither male nor female.

Following the melee Tuesday, Santee principal Martin Gomez defended the new facility, telling local TV station KTLA, "Yesterday, a small group of adults unsuccessfully attempted to discredit the brave actions of our students by protesting against the school's recently approved gender-neutral restrooms. Above all, we want to ensure the safety of our students despite outside factors and influencers who want to disrupt instruction and the well-being of our students."

Absolute Chaos During Antigay Rally at L.A. School

New Video Shows Absolute Chaos During Antigay Rally at L.A. School

Since many toy brands have worked so hard to needlessly gender children's toys, we started thinking of some alternatives...

Gender Neutral Toys

Rocks

Cardboard Box

Wrapping Paper Tube

Dirt

Sand

Colored Sand

Soccer Ball

Balls

I Phone

Little Bits

Noggin Stik

Fairies

Dollhouse

Toolkit

Apples To Apples

Kitchen

Legos

Musical Toys

Stuffed Animals

Play Doh

Trains

20 Gender-Neutral Toys for Every Kid

Since many toy brands have worked so hard to needlessly gender children's toys, we started thinking of some alternatives...

Chicago Public Schools Meet Needs of Transgender Students

Chicago Public Schools Meet Needs of Transgender Students

A same-sex couple was crowned prom king and queen last month at a Florida high school.

Lindsey Creel and Brie Grimes made local history by becoming the first same-sex couple to reign at Leon High School in Tallahassee.

In an interview with the Tallahassee Democrat, the pair discussed how their newfound high-school royalty is more than a personal win, but also a symbol of hope for other lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth.

“It feels good to know some of the things we’ve been a part of can help others going through tough experiences, in a positive way,” Grimes said. “I needed someone in my life to show me that it would work out — when I was first going through this years ago. But I didn’t have that.”

“I hope that people will look at this and more will begin to think that it’s okay to be supportive of the LBTQ community,” Creel added. “Leon often talks about change. ... This is a good example for younger students there.”

Leon High School has had a gay-straight alliance since 2001, although school administrators initially pushed to call it a “Tolerance Club” for fear it might be targeted.

For the organization’s sponsor, history teacher Scott Brown, the coronation of Creel and Grimes demonstrates the progress of LGBT rights in the community.

“It makes me feel proud to know that the majority of Leon students are open-minded and agree with today’s changing mores,” he said. “Leon may be a traditional school, but we can be known as progressive.”

The mother of Grimes posted a photograph of the couple to Instagram along with a moving message of support.

 

Leon High School Prom 2016 will go down in the history books! Not only is it Brie's senior prom, but also because she won Prom Queen and her girlfriend, Lindsey, Prom King. Leon High is the oldest high school in the State of Florida, being established in 1831, and is in the US National Register of Historic Places. Tonight they crowned their first same sex couple as Prom Queen and King. Brie, who cares very much about equality, feminism and having no gender lines is proud of her school and graduating class for recognizing love has no gender rules. As Brie's mom I am proud of her for choosing love, for being bold and sticking to the things she believes in even if they are different than mine and much of the world. She is a beautiful person and made a gorgeous prom queen with a sharp prom king!! @briebrieg #nofilter #leonhighprom2016 #thisisourlife #keepingitreal

A photo posted by tpoucher (@tpoucher) on Apr 9, 2016 at 8:35pm PDT

“As Brie’s mom I am proud of her for choosing love, for being bold and sticking to the things she believes in even if they are different than mine and much of the world," she wrote. "She is a beautiful person and made a gorgeous prom queen with a sharp prom king!”

Foothill High School could learn a lesson from Leon. The Northern California school’s prom policy, claiming gender discrimination, makes it impossible for two queens to reign. However, a lesbian couple is fighting it.

Lesbian Couple Crowned Prom King and Queen in Florida

Lesbian Couple Crowned Prom King and Queen in Florida High School

Caitlyn Jenner met some of her young critics at a high school in Brooklyn, N.Y., recently and seemed to win them over.

Jenner visited Brooklyn’s Academy for Young Writers with New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. She had expressed an interest in the academy, known for its inclusive attitudes and policies, after reading an article Kristof wrote about it last year, and the Timescaptured her visit on video.

Some students had denounced Jenner as a privileged white person who didn’t understand the struggles of most transgender people, and taken issue with her conservative political positions. But when Jenner met with students, she pointed out that her high-profile transition came with its own set of problems.

“I have been exposed to more than you can ever even imagine,” she said, “being destroyed in the tabloids to paparazzis following me everywhere, lies about me.”

Kristof noted that the students quickly warmed to Jenner, but did note that most trans people don’t have to worry about being followed by paparazzi — but instead must be vigilant of being stalked by potential attackers. “There is a big gap,” acknowledged Joshua (pictured, right), a transgender boy who attends the academy. “But by her using her voice to advocate, it’s opening doors for people like me.”

Spencer (pictured, left), a student who identifies as male but sometimes dresses as female, said the publicity around Jenner’s transition helped advance the conversation on gender issues and make the academy even more inclusive and accepting.

The Times live-streamed a portion of Jenner’s visit, showing her in front of the school’s gender-neutral restroom. During that live coverage, many viewers posted derogatory comments about Jenner's appearance and her identity. They called her “nauseating,” “sick and perverse,” and a “freak,” and some even said she should be killed.

“A lot of the comments were pretty tough to read,” Kristof said. “It’s clear we have a long way to go, and while America debates bathroom policies, a crisis continues. Nearly half of transgender people will attempt suicide. But at least we’re talking.”

Watch the video below.

Caitlyn Jenner Charms Trans Students in Brooklyn

Caitlyn Jenner Charms Trans Students in Brooklyn

Transgender high school senior Dakota Yorke is one vote away from making history at her Indiana high school.

The 18-year-old was elected one of four finalists for prom queen at Portage High School, reports The Chicago Tribune, which covers the town (near Indiana's border with Illinois) in its "Suburbs" section. Portage High will crown its prom queen on Saturday, and the Dakota tells Tribune columnist Jerry Davich she couldn't be more excited.

For Dakota, entering the contest was about more than winning, it was about being seen and loved for who she is, she told the paper.

"For other transgender teens, this is about following your dreams and being who you are, not who people think you are," she said.

Her candidacy comes at a time when transgender rights— especially those of students— have been called into question across the country. In North Carolina, a controversial new law makes it illegal for transgender people to use bathrooms matching their gender identity when those facilities are in government buildings or public spaces. A so-called religious freedom bill recently passed in Mississippi effectively bars the state from recognizing transgender people's authentic gender, and a spate of transphobic "bathroom bills" continue to advance in as many as 20 states, though some of these policies have been voted down or repealed. 

Like many parents, Dakota's mother, Dawn Yorke, is supportive of her daughter.

"To us, Dakota is just Dakota," Dawn told the paper. "I never cared how she identified regarding her gender, as long as she was a good person who was kind and respectful to others."

But "middle school was rough," for the young woman who had not yet come out as transgender, her mother told the paper, fighting back tears.  

In a video posted to YouTube, the Portage High School student said she had dreamed of being a prom queen since she was little. When she saw that she was a finalist, she got emotional. "I saw my name on the bulletin board and I cried," she told the paper, remembering her excitement.

Only last year, the teen attended prom wearing a tuxedo and she hated it, according to the paper. "I felt embarrassed," she said, reportedly wrinkling her nose at the painful recollection.

But today, Dakota is bold, as her YouTube videos demonstrate. "Fear gets you nowhere. I've learned that honey," she says in the video announcing her decision to run for prom queen. She instructs viewers to "Follow me on the path to laughter happiness and positivity and don't let anybody, anybody, anybody, get you down!"

Meet Dakota Yorke in the Tribune video below.

Will This Indiana Trans Teen Be Crowned Prom Queen?

Will This Indiana Trans Teen Be Crowned Prom Queen?

Girl Banned from Prom Because She Wore A Suit

Catholic School Bans Girl from Prom Because She Wore A Suit

Watch Real World Star's Emotional Farewell to Mormon Church

Watch This Real World Star Give an Emotional Farewell to Mormon Church

A lesbian teenager who was kicked out of her prom in Harrisburg, Pa., on Friday for wearing a suit received a message of support from her local mayor. 

Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney, who recently extended a ban on city-funded travel to states that have passed anti-LGBT laws, wrote on his Facebook page Monday:

The Democrat also took to Facebook Tuesday to announce that he would reconsider the travel ban "if the states of North Carolina, Mississippi, Tennessee and the city of Oxford, Alabama choose to repeal their discriminatory legislation." 

Oxford, Ala., did repeal its unprecedented anti-trans ordinance late last month, less than a week after it was unanimously approved on an intial vote by the city council.

The Pennsylvania teen barred from her Catholic high school's prom, Aniya Wolf, reportedly bought her tuxedo prior to a last-minute email from school administrators informing students that all girls attending prom must wear a dress. 

Wolf's mother contacted the school, telling them that she had read the dress code prior to the event, and that she "didn't think that it precluded her [daughter] from wearing a suit," she told Harrisburg TV station, WHTM. "I said that this was very unfair, particularly at the last minute. We had gone out and bought a new suit. I think my daughter is beautiful in a suit,” Carolyn Wolf told the station.

The teen told WHTM that she had been looking forward to the event, so she went to the prom, regardless of the dress code. Once she arrived, a school official threatened to call the police if Wolf did not leave the premises immediately. The teenager left before police were contacted. 

On Sunday, a nearby high school offered to host Wolf and her date at its prom on May 21. Wolf told WHTM that she "would gladly accept the invitation."

Philly Mayor to Lesbian Booted from Prom: "I Love Your Suit"

Philly Mayor to Lesbian Teen Kicked Out of Prom: “I Love Your Suit” 

The Transgender Law Center has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education on behalf of a transgender boy in Kenosha, Wis., who has been denied access to the boys’ restrooms at his high school.

Ashton Whitaker, 16, had been using the boys’ restrooms at Tremper High School without incident since the beginning of the school year — until school administrators intervened and threatened him with disciplinary action, according to a press release from the legal group. The administrators then ordered him to use “an out-of-the-way bathroom to which no other student has access,” the press release notes. As a result, he generally avoids using any restroom at school.

The Bay Area-based center reports that the school has accepted Whitaker as a boy in other respects, using his correct name and pronouns and allowing him to run for prom king. Officials with the high school and the Kenosha Unified School District sought to block him from running for king, but relented after students protested and petitioned on his behalf.

Students have also petitioned for his restroom access, and the Transgender Law Center sent the school district a letter last month demanding that he and other transgender students be given access to the facilities that match their gender identity. The center warned that the district could face legal action if it refused, but it did, leading to the complaint filed today. The organization is also considering a federal lawsuit against the district.

“As the United States Attorney General so movingly affirmed earlier this week, singling out transgender youth for discrimination is a violation of both our values and our laws as a country,” said Transgender Law Center executive director Kris Hayashi in the press release. “It is past time for schools to get in line with the law and treat all of their students, including transgender students like Ash, fairly and equally.”

“School is no longer the safe and welcoming place that it used to be,” Whitaker said in the release. “Being banned from the boys’ bathroom is a daily reminder that school administrators see me as someone who is so different from the other students that I’m not even allowed to share a bathroom with them. I’ve basically stopped using the bathroom at school altogether, which makes it painful and difficult to get through the school day.”

Last year the Department of Education ruled that a school district in Illinois had committed unlawful discrimination by denying a transgender girl access to the girls’ locker room. After some resistance, Township High School District 211 in Palatine agreed to accommodate the girl. Last week a group of families in the district sued the federal government, alleging that letting her use the girls’ locker room is an act of discrimination against other students that threatens their safety and privacy.

The Department of Education and the Department of Justice have held that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, in banning discrimination based on sex, also bans discrimination based on gender identity. Schools that violate this law can lose federal funding. Just this week, the federal government cited Title IX in its lawsuit seeking to strike down North Carolina’s restrictions on transgender people’s restroom access.

Wisconsin Trans Student Sues for Equal Bathroom Access

I’ll never forget hiding in the doorway, staring at the phone shaking in my mother’s hand. A stream of tears drowned her breath and she gasped fitfully for air. I could sense her weariness as she continued the conversation with my cousin, a psychologist. I remember them talking about my “poor health,” my “choices,” my “mental disability.” I would have to meet with my cousin the next day to talk about my sexuality. I felt betrayed.

"When did you start to feel like that? Do you want to be gay?"

"It just comes naturally for me, I guess."

I remember feeling nervous about meeting with my cousin the next day, but I felt revitalized after our talk. I realized that she and my parents were simply worried about my safety and my future. I am thankful that my family allowed me to open my heart and be true to myself with them. They listened me and were so quick to understand me. In the beginning it was a difficult process for them, but they chose to love me for who I am as they did with my deafness, rather than send me away to “fix” my homosexuality. I felt a trust within us.

Tragically, Manuel* had a very different outcome. As recently as one year ago, he had been forcibly admitted to a clinic where he was subjected to electroshock therapy in an attempt to “cure” his homosexuality. Disturbingly, Manuel’s situation is not an anomaly. Countless others have endured a myriad of treatments aimed at curing their “sexual deviations,” including surgery and substances. This issue was first brought to the public eye in 2011, when the national newspaper in Ecuador ran an article that estimated that 200 such facilities were still in operation across the country. 

This may be shocking to some, but consider it in context: Fewer than 30 years ago, the World Health Organization continued to include homosexuality on its list of diseases and mental illnesses. It was only 20 years ago that Ecuador repealed its law against same-sex romantic activity and relationships. The rehabilitation clinics like the one Manuel attended were once far more prevalent; they closed down not only because they were not properly registered with the Ministry of Health, but because no one should endure having their sexuality forcibly “converted.”

“You’re not gay, you’re just shy.”

As counterintuitive as it may seem, the families who send their children to these clinics do so out of love and concern for their wellbeing. Ecuador, while officially secular, is a largely Roman Catholic country. In fact, most of the clinics shut down by the Ministry of Health in 2011 were religiously affiliated. This isn’t to suggest that religion itself is a problem; the owners of these clinics were unsavory characters looking to make a quick buck — and they knew that they could use our spirituality against us.

I have fond memories of attending church with my grandparents each Sunday, but it is there that I first learned about the prejudice so often shown to people who identify as queer, like I do. The verse from Leviticus is burned in my mind: “You shall not lie with a male as with a woman; it is an abomination.” For the first time in my life, I felt like my sexuality was wrong. Eventually, this led to thoughts of suicide, when I was as young as 13. Writing, while once just a childhood hobby, became my coping mechanism — and I continue it to this day. In fact, it was that aforementioned newspaper article that inspired me to write my first novel, first in Spanish and now translated into a new edition in English. While the story I tell is fictional, it is based on my research and conversations with survivors of these very real clinics.

It’s unknown how many of these clinics may still exist in Ecuador or around the world. They may even exist in your own proverbial backyard. The National Center for Lesbian Rights is working to pass legislation against gay conversation therapy in the United States, but at the moment, there is only legal protection for minors in four states and the District of Columbia.

Despite everything, I was able to find my safe place, and now I write in the hope that others will be able to find their own. In the words of LGBT activist Harvey Milk, “All young people, regardless of sexual orientation or identity, deserve a safe and supportive environment in which to achieve their full potential.” 

*I used a pseudonym to respect the victim’s privacy.

CESAR L. BAQUERIZO's debut English novel, A Safe Place With You, will be released June 14. It will be available for purchase at all major retailers online and at www.pennamepublishing.com. For more information about A Safe Place With You, check out his interview on Youtube. Twitter: @cesarluisb@asafeplacewithu

'Ex-Gay' Clinics Are Torturing Youth Around the Globe