The State Board of Education in Michigan has proposed a guideline that will allow transgender students to identify by their gender more freely. Drafted on Feb. 23, the new guidelines give transgender individuals in schools the ability to express their gender identity by choosing bathrooms and locker rooms they feel most comfortable in.

“I think the guidelines are helpful for transgender students,” freshman Erin Boutwell said. “I think it would really help kids if they didn’t have to be forced into a certain bathroom they didn’t want.”

The guidelines aim to end harassment in schools and allow for transgender individuals to receive an education safely. Transgender students can decide whether or not they want to disclose their gender-identity to their parent or guardian. For example, if a call home is necessary for a student, the student could decide whether or not the school administration would use their preferred name and pronouns or not when addressing their parents. Additionally, students will be able to use facilities like locker rooms and bathrooms based on their gender-identity.

“I feel like Fenton is, for the most part, an accepting environment,” said student counselor Michelle Pietraszkiewicz. “We do have transgender students and they don’t seem to have many problems that I am aware of. With that being said, I think we could do more to make them feel more supported such as having a LGBT group that could meet on a regular basis.”

The proposal is meant to further the rights of transgender individuals, however, some opponents claim their own rights are being taken away. Most cite their opposition to the rule stems from general unease of having to share a locker room or restroom with someone they perceive as being the opposite gender.

“I am really looking forward to the bill being passed,” freshman Max Mettler-Anglim said. “It’s good to know I’ll be able to use the bathroom I want.”

Michigan Sen. Tom Casperson, in opposition to the new guidelines, has decided to propose his own bill. The bill will mostly reverse the actions of the proposal, barring transgender individuals from using the bathroom of their choice. Although, the bill will allow them to use the bathrooms if they gain consent from their parents. Even then, the bathroom could not be used if another student was using it. A transgender student would have to go to the bathroom only if the room is entirely cleared. The bill is meant to stop transgender students from assaulting other students in bathrooms.

While “assault in bathrooms” remains a popular line against integration of transgender restrooms, there still remains only a small amount of actual cases where such an act occurred. The number of actual transgender people who aren’t assaulting people in bathrooms outweighs the minority of sexual predators who infiltrate bathrooms dressed as women or a man. Additionally, women who are born biologically female could also enter bathrooms and assault other women along with men. Although some cases do exist, such as a man who filmed women in a Walmart bathroom in Virginia, other accounts of acts actually happening were proven to be false. One of these stories was a story run by the Christian Broadcasting Network that claimed a male student was pretending to be transgender to harass female students in the bathroom. When further inspected, the story was proven to be a hoax when the superintendent of the school clarified that no such event had occurred.

Transgender individuals, while being a small minority, account for a good portion of homeless youth and suicide rates. Additionally, they remain the most discriminated against in terms of job opportunity in America; more than 33 states still have the right to fire workers on the basis of them being transgender. With the drafting of guidelines like the one in Michigan, future generations of transgender youth may have to deal with fewer obstacles to live their lives.