youth.

>> if there's any umbrellas people aren't using -- all right. thanks, everybody for being here. we appreciate it. we wanted to make sure we kept the rain until this morning. thank you for being here in this weather and thank you for joining us today to talk about something that's very, very important. i'm mark pocan, chair of the equality caucus, the largest caucus in congress, at 195 members dedicated to advancing lgbtq equaltism i'm glad to be joined by other leaders to mark today's day of no silence.

now we used to have a day of silence. in past years students would go silent in the classroom for a full day in protest of the harassment, bullying and discrimination that queer students faced. this year is different. this year we can't be silent. in 2024, anti-equality extremist republicans have continued to unleash an avalanche of attacks against our community, including by introducing more than 475 anti-equality bills across state legislatures and extremists in the house of representatives have introduced more than 55 anti-equality bills this congress. it's bad enough to have bullies in school but there are adults bullying children right here in congress. politics' obsessive attacks threaten the safety and well being of members of our community across the united states and add fuel to an already dangerously hot fire of bullying and violence.

bullying and violence that disproportionately affects transgender and nonbinary students. that's why this is not a day of silent anymore. it's a day to rise up and take action. republicans have been spending their time this congress trying to forcefully out transgender student, ban lgbtq i +books and keep kids as young as kindergarten from playing on school sport teams with their friends. democrats are committed to defending equality and ensuring every student can attend school and live lives free from harassment and discrimination. that's why we continue to call for robust enforcement of title ix so all students can thrive in school regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity or sex characteristics. as chair of the i quality caucus i will always defend our lgbt

community especially youth. i'm going to introduce our first speaker, someone who has been an absolutely amazing champion, the senator from hawaii. >> thank you for being here. in today's political climate it is easy to lose sight of how far we've come in terms of advancing equality for lgbtq people. even in just the past few years, congress voted to enshrine marriage equality with the respect for marriage act. and the supreme court ruled against workplace discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. these were hard-fought victories made possible by decades, decades of powerful advocacy and shared sacrifice on the part of so many people in the lgbtq

community. in spite of the progress and in some ways because of the progress, attacks on lgbtq rights continue. they are a center priest of the republican culture wars. and even schools are not exempt. schools are supposed to be safe havens for kids. instead they become a focal point of the culture wars. republicans are so focus and punishing queer kids through any means available, whether they're banning the kinds of health care that they can access or the books they can read, or even the bathrooms they can use. even here in congress we recently had a fight -- we had to fight off a republican effort that would have allowed schools to refuse meals to transkids. to refuse meals to transkids. our message is very simple. leave the children alone.

let them be kids. queer kids, straight kids, somewhere in between. they're kids. let them eat. let them study. let them go to school. let them walk to school. let them walk to the next class. without being bullied or harassed. and what mark pocan said is exactly right. it is one thing to contend with other kids bullying kids. it is entirely different thing for a national political party in these chambers to use their raw power to bully children. leave the kids alone. i want to thank everybody for being part of this effort. i am honored to play my small role. and new it is my great privilege and honor to introduce somebody who has been an advocate for civil rights and human rights in his community and veterans for a

very, very long time, representative mark takano. >> it's punctuating your endorsement. >> not strong enough for mary poppins. thank you, senator schatz. thank you for your amazing leadership on this issue. and of course chair of the equality caucus, congressional equality caucus, mark pocan, my classmate when i came into congress. what an amazing privilege it's been to serve with you all these years on this very, very issue that touches both of us, all of us here. thank you, parents, thank you, kids, thank you young people for being here. all across the country, lgbt youth need to know they will be supported and protected when they go to school. as legislature -- legislators in

state capitols attack their basic rights to reed books about their history, use the bathrooms they need, participate in sports with their classmates and get an education free from harassment and discrimination. it is critical that those in power take tangible steps to ensure that all people have access to a good education. we have to stop the scapegoating. stop the targeting of trans kids and the parents of trans kids. the parents of lgbt kids. and the lgbt kids. the impacts of these policies is a rise in anti-lgbt hate crimes in schools. it's been well documented the impact on student mental health. the trevor project found that 41% of lgbtq young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year. a majority of lgbtq young people

reported being verbally harassed at school because people thought they were lgbtq. nearly two in three lgbtq young people said that hearing about potential state or local laws banning people from discussing lgbtq people at schools made their mental health a lot worse. look, i remember as a teenager when the briggs initiative, a law that would have banned lgbt teachers from teaching, was being considered. i remember what an impact it had on me as a young teenager to see a law, a proposition like that being proposed. as a former teacher, i know that schools shouldn't be just about surviving. it should be about thriving. students can't learn when they're struggling to make it through each day. survival is the bare minimum. we also need to protect lgbtq students' rights to thrive. to find joy in learning.

to discover their passions. and to embark on the rest of their lives and educational settings that support and affirm them. i just will say that, you know, barney frank, the amazing congressman barney frank reflected on some of the same sentiments that senator schatz has said. we have come a long way as a community. we have fleshed a lot. thanks in no -- in great part to the individual courage of all the people who have come out. all the people who sacrificed. and no longer are we on our own 20-yard line. in fact we are on -- we are near a lot of our goals on, we'll say the opposition's 20-yard line. that explains a lot of the desperation we're seeing. the shameful, shameful scapegoating of our community. and our kids. this is shameful. we are here today to say we're

rising up to stand up for ourselves. i want to now bring up an amazing advocate from an amazing organization, one that i was familiar with as a teacher, i want to make sure i bring up -- brian diteier from glisten. >> thank you so much, congressman takano, congressman pocan, senator schatz. we are so grateful to have so many leaders who are fighting for safer, more afirming and inclusive school environments, especially k-12. imlisen was founded by a series of educators in 1990's who saw persistent bullying and harassment of lgbtq i youth. it is students who started acting in 1996 with the day of silence action.

day of silence is an opportunity to draw attention to the high rates of harassment and discrimination in classroom settings. 83% of lgbtqi youth continue to be bullied and harassed. unfortunately, 62% of those who are the victims of assault and discrimination in schools don't report that to school staff. we need to continue to rise up, to fight back against both the hateful rhetoric, the peer and school staff bullying that happens, and the discriminatory policies that hold back lgbtq youth and in particular transgender, nonbinary and gender expansive youth. glsen is grateful to be here. we are grateful to our congressional leaders who are championing these inclusive policies. later we'll hear from students and parents who have been impacted by the policies and culture of exclusion that continues to plague k-12 settings. before we get started i'd love

to introduce representative becca ba lint, a former -- balint, a former educator herself and champion for lgbtq youth. >> good morning. you know, it's an honor to share the stage with my colleagues, but also students and parents today. i just want to say thank you all for your willingness to be courageous, to speak out, to be such a strong voice really for justice. as everyone here knows this is about basic humanity. this is about human dignity. and as a former teacher, i know it's hard enough to be a teen without getting all the terrible messages coming from our elected officials that somehow you're not worthy. that you're less than. that you're not loved. it's cruel and it dehumanizes children. when all students want is to

live their life, attend school, have friends, participate in sports, and know that their government is not using every opportunity to fan the flames of fear and hatred. as a gay teen myself, i struggled with these messages. they took a real toll on my mental health. i know after decades of progress, many of my colleagues and i know that our colleagues on the other side of the aisle want to bring us back into the darkness. with over 800 discriminatory bills this year alone in state legislatures across the country, i understand that it is easy to feel really discouraged and overwhelmed. i get it. but we can't let their meanness, their anger, their hatred get to us. we can't give in to their

cynicism. because cynicism and despair kill creativity. it saps our energy. it makes us feel hopeless. and i reject that. i want all of us to reject that. yes, there are people desperately trying to pull us backwards. but we will prevail. how do i know this? because i am a member of congress and i am proud and i am gay and i have other colleagues with me standing next to me. we will prevail. because our community is not going to go back. a message that i want to take out from this day forward is, we are the light and the students and the teachers and the parents here, you are the light, together we are the change. together we are will prevail.

because we are not a nation of cynics. we are a nation of creativity. we are a nation of generous people. we will overcome the hate. we will. i promise you this. and we will do it together. thank you for your bravery. thank you for your spirit. thank you for your love. and what i say to all of you today, onward with courage, all. thank you. >> next i'd like to introduce the parents of and lgbtqi youth, sandy. >> hello, everyone. my name is sandy and i'm indeed a proud mother of a young adult transgender son. i share experiences with other parents that i've met through my journey through glesn, that once our children express their gender idebitty and hopefully we embark on this a journey of

acceptance and understanding, and this is journey we've never considered before, there are many struggles and emotions. he hardest for many of us is greatly increased fear for their safety, both emotional and physical. research shows that etch with the growing social aware thoafns transgender population, our children face increased social hostility and alienation. parents see this with increased bully, nonaccepting family and friends, and teachers who refuse to wreuz their childrens' new names or pronounces let alone protect them from bullying and violence. we also see our children as being more vulnerable as they start their transition process. we have to find the right doctors. we have to make the right decisions. and we help our children navigate the ins and downs of their journey. importantly, we help them find affirming and accepting places with others to form friendships and build community. as a parent, i am worried for

other parents and their children who see these many laws and regulations for schools to exclude transgender children just because of who they are, whether it's in bathrooms or sports teams. my son transitioned while in college and he got his community by participating in various groups and activities. i and other parents know how important it is for them to be accepted. the national association of intercollegiate athletics and the repeated efforts by extremist politicians to ban transstudent athletes stands contrary to the values of teamwork inherent to sports. this denies students the opportunity to play, simply play. compete. challenge themselves. and bond with their peers. this is why it's so important that our federal leaders rise up for lgbtq plus use. we must reject policies of discrimination and instead build schools that support and nurture

all children so they can safely reach their full potential. thank you. >> hello. my name is t.j., my pronouns are they/them. i went to school in connecticut. let me tell you about my experience in high school. one morning, i squeezed into a size 11 black combat boot i bought for prom. i walked to one end of the room, turned around, striking a pose. i've always been one to stand out in a sea of conformity. but i never asked for it to be accompanied by a barrage of microaggressions and disdainful fears in places where i should feel safe, like school. i felt embarrassed and out of place when a teacher stopped me in the hall to declare that boys should not wear heels, that's a girls thing. to my surprise when i addressed

these comments to my adviser, she told me, that's just the way it is. when i switched back and asked if i could file a report, i couldn't help but wonder if this would change anything. after sitting down with my principal and a member of my district to report this homophobic incident i couldn't help but wonder if this -- i couldn't help but wonder if this will change anything. i was told that it would only -- he would only be issued a warning. despite his history of sexist and homophobic comments it was clear my school did not care and unfortunately this experience is far too common for lgbtq youth. we face tirades of bullying and harassment in schools. too many youth don't report or face ineffective responses. this is why clear fliens for title ix is so important for students. we must be able to go to school without being bullied and should

not -- and sure as hell should not have to think their school administration won't do anything to protect them. members of congress, the time is now. lgbtq students across our nation face discrimination, bullying and exclusion on a daily basis. these adverse experiences are being forced by state policies that target lgbtq youth, censoring what we learn in the classroom, denying the ability to confirm our own identities. we cannot stand idly by while future educators, future scholars, our innovators, our scientists, our doctors, our leaders suffer. and it's imperative that you use your platform and power to stand up for their rights. let's rise together for the sake of all lgbtq youth and create a future where every young person should feel safe, valued and empowered to be their authentic self. thank you.

>> good morning. i'm nicole point dexter from the human rights campaign. i'm a mother to four amazing children, raised in my chosen state of oklahoma. when my middle child came out as trans, his father and i were unsheer what to do. we sought help from our family physician who recommend wed attend the state's premier medical facility, the university of oklahoma's adolescent medicine clinic. there we were given a wealth of information, resources and referrals. but with that -- what that clinic could not prepare us for was the onslaught of bullying, hateful rhetoric and discriminatory state policy that would nearly end my child's life. within a year oklahoma politicians targeted the clinic and held pandemic funds i was in the capital during these votes. i helped -- i held one of the doctors that she cried, knowing children would die without the care she gave. anti-trans bullying is reaching

a fever pitch and my child's mental health started rapidly declining. two months ago we learned that a child the same age as my son did not survive. my son and nick are trans oklahomans who were targeted by politicians enriching their power on the expense of vulnerable children. in the days after nick passed, my son also overdosed. i watched the monitors next to his bed as his blood pressure was 50 over 20 and his heart rate hit a low of 30. my son survived but our family is forever changed. nearly losing a child where the governor counts his pro-life values i cannot help but ask, what about my child's life? politicians are enacting deadly legislation with our children paying the price. after we lost nick, calls to 988

dramatically increased and many defined oklahoma leaders and policy is the reason for the hurt. i refuse to stand by while policies of hate and division destroy children. we must not only stop that hateful rhetoric coming from conservative state leaders, congress and leaders at all levels of government need to pass federal and state protections for lgbtq youth. today, before it is too late, as we bury more children. last time it was nearly mine. what if it is yours? act today. thank you. >> i am a parent in maryland. i believe we understand other stories best when we are part of them. my wife and i recently experienced our son in kindergarten in a public school.

this experience is as fresh and unfamiliar to us as it is to him. imagine you are a parent, like any other parent, except your family might look a little different. you love your child with all your heart and work hard to create a supportive, loving, inclusive home environment. you taught your child about love, acceptance, and the duty of diversity. now comes a moment of trepidation. sending your child off to school into the wild -- wider world and you hope the values you instilled at home will be in reinforced in the classroom and that your child will feel safe and celebrated and accepted for who they are and where they came from. you want them to see that families come in all shapes and sizes and it is something to be embraced, not judged. there is also fear that the school will not be as welcoming and understanding as you like, that your child might face

discrimination because of your family structure. that teachers might not be able to handle the fact that your child has lgbt parents. to protect your child from harm, physical and emotional. it's not about wanting special treatment and favors, it's about basic human dignity. lgbt parents just want what is best for their children, like all parents. to thrive, learn, grow into confident and compassionate individuals and that starts with feeling accepted and supported in their own skin, their own families, and their own schools. as we think about the future of education in the country, let us remember the diverse tapestry of families that make up our communities. let's anticipate that teachers will be ok with the fact that some students have lgbt parents because at the end of the day, love is love and family is family. i am so grateful for the leaders

and champions in congress and beyond that rise up for our community and for every student who is taking action today. we all know every child deserves the chance to learn, grow in an environment where they feel valued and respected, no matter who their parents are. thank you. >> i want to thank all of the parents and former students and in particular all the work they do. this is now the day of [no audio] the bullying is not fair to kids and that needs to end. if you have questions, you can catch anyone individually. we are past our time but we are open to talk to anyone, please just grab them. and thank you for being here. we appreciate it.

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