The Student Non-Discrimination Act: Clarifying Protections for LGBTQ Students

When applying to college several years ago, I was privileged to be able to consider women’s colleges without being concerned that my gender identity would present any problem in the application process. This is because I am cisgender – a term used for people who have a gender identity that “matches” the sex they were assigned at birth. For transgender applicants like Calliope Wong, things were more complicated.

Calliope, who identifies as a transgender woman, applied with high hopes to Smith College, a women’s college in Massachusetts. Her application was returned to her, unreviewed, with a letter from the admissions office that because her federal financial aid paperwork indicated her sex as male, they could not accept her application.

When I think about Calliope, I also think about how much we need the Student Non-Discrimination Act (SNDA), a bill that was reintroduced today in the House of Representatives. To be clear, this bill would only apply to K-12 public schools and not to private colleges and universities. Even so, its provisions – prohibiting discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students, and those perceived to be so – would send a clear message about the way our country values these students. SNDA would it make absolutely clear – finally – that discriminating against a K-12 public school student based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity is illegal.

As a member of the LGBTQ community, I realize that telling teenagers that it gets better and fighting for equal access to the institution of marriage are only part of our struggle. Far too often, I hear stories of LGBTQ individuals experiencing bullying, harassment, and violence - seriously, there have already been way too many stories of transwomen of color being ruthlessly murdered this year, and it’s only April. We need a range of policy solutions to improve the lived experiences of LGBTQ folks, including making sure that students feel comfortable going to school. SNDA is an incredibly important step in ensuring that members of the queer community have access to a safe and productive educational environment.