As a resident of Missouri, where benighted state legislators are following the lead of conservative GOP governments in other states (eg. using the same wording for proposed laws), I’m worried.

The GOP in Florida is proposing legislation which will require teachers to use pronouns for students (and others in the school) based on the sex identified on their birth certificates.*

Here’s a made-up scenario:

—A Student walks into a (4th grade, 7th grade, 11th grade) classroom on the first day of school. She appears to be a girl. She is wearing an outfit similar to outfits worn by other girls in the room. Her name on the official school enrollment printout is Tracy Smith.
—In the classroom, the teacher addresses Tracy as “she” and “her.” Tracy uses the same bathroom as the other girls, where there are, of course, private stalls.
—Another student in the classroom reports to the teacher (or to administration or to his/her own parents) that Tracy is a boy, as previously known in their (kindergarten) class.
—Administration calls Tracy’s parents, who affirm that their child is a girl, with considerable indignation, not to say fury, at being asked the question.
—Will the parents be required to produce the student’s birth certificate on the basis of somebody’s “suspicion”? What if they won’t? Will the school administration demand a genital inspection of the child? Will the teacher be fired for using the “wrong” pronouns?
—Whose rights are being respected and/or violated in this case? Who has been harmed?
—Why the (expletive deleted) is this the state’s business?

Here’s my own TRUE scenario:

As a docent at a major art museum, I host groups of student guests, 3rd grade to high school age. From time to time, I cannot tell from appearance—clothing, hair, or any other visual or verbal cues—whether an individual is male or female. I have learned to avoid using pronouns when speaking to or about individual students. Once is one time too many to have a sweet-faced, long-haired child pluck at my elbow and quietly correct me, saying, “I’m a boy.” I resort to “their” and “they” when necessary.

Among other challenges, I cannot cover up all the nudes in the museum. And, yes, someday these young art students may learn more about Michelangelo than his talent with a chisel. Meanwhile, without judgment, I hope to bring light to the minds inside whatever kind of bodies they occupy as they discover life and art for themselves.

*Proposed legislation: Expand ‘don’t say gay’ (HB 1223/SB 1320)
What it would do: Prohibit classroom instruction related to gender identity or sexual orientation in prekindergarten through eighth grade. Currently, the state outlaws any such lessons in kindergarten through third grade. The proposal would also ban the use of personal pronouns in public schools that do not correspond to a teacher, administrator or student’s sex at birth.Article