#transrights #NewJersey #MomsForLiberty #pronouns
"Neo-Nazi Moms lawsuit could push transgender teens toward suicide, experts warn.
A federal lawsuit targeting a New Jersey school district’s student privacy policy could have serious consequences for vulnerable young people, mental health experts and LGBTQ+ research organizations warn, as the case intensifies a national debate over parental rights, student safety and gender identity in schools.
Moms for Liberty, represented by the conservative legal organization Thomas More Society, filed suit Aug. 24 against the School District of the Chathams, challenging Policy 5145.7, which allows school staff to respect a transgender student’s chosen name and pronouns without automatically notifying the student’s parents.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Newark on behalf of two anonymous members of the organization and their two daughters, who attend elementary school in the Morris County district. Court records confirm the case was filed Aug. 24.
Moms for Liberty has become a prominent force in battles over how schools address race, sexuality and gender identity. Critics, including the Southern Poverty Law Center, have characterized the organization as extremist and accused its chapters of seeking to remove books and classroom materials dealing with LGBTQ+ people, race and discrimination.
The organization, which rejects such characterizations and claims to be protecting parental rights, gained attention through school-level disputes over COVID-19 safety measures, curricula, books, and LGBTQ+ inclusion. It has since become a prominent force in right-wing education politics and the broader U.S. antigovernment movement.
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After researchers controlled for demographic and other factors, pronoun respect was associated with 31% lower odds of a suicide attempt. Earlier Trevor Project research found that young people whose pronouns were respected by all or most people in their lives attempted suicide at about half the rate of those whose pronouns were not respected."
