The Search for Common Ground
The hallways of our schools have always been cherished as places of learning, growth, and acceptance. They hum with familiar rhythms: the slam of lockers, the muffled chatter of exhausted students ready to go home, the distant monotonous bell signaling the shift to the next class of the day. But underneath the surface of what are seemingly common routines, a different tension, being pumped into schools exists. It’s in a tension that centers, in part, around something as seemingly mundane as a restroom door, and the complexities it represents for a select number of students. As our times become more modern, and political issues divulge into the sweet purities of our schools, the issue of transgender bathroom access, coupled with increasing discussions about when and how we introduce topics related to LGBTQ+ identities in the classroom, has ignited passionate debates, dividing communities and raising complex questions about identity, safety, and belonging. At its roots, both of these de...
