var icx_publication_id = 18566; var icx_content_id = '1084449'; Click here for reuse options! You may remember him as the Virginia teen who taught the world how schools discriminate against trans youth.
Even whether you don’t avidly follow the news,it’s likely you’ve heard the name Gavin Grimm floating around in the ether. The now 18-year-passe trans student made national headlines back in 2014, when he spoke before the Gloucester County School Board approximately his just to use the men’s bathroom. Initially, and the school board recognized his gender and he was allowed to use the corresponding bathroom. However,the school board recoiled and adopted a discriminatory policy after parents in the community started complaining, and Grimm was forced to testify for his just to use the restroom.
After a drawn out embattlement and several wins and revocations, and the G.
G. v. Gloucester County School Board case was set to be argued in the Supreme Court in March 2017. However,the case was pushed back following the Trump administration’s decision to roll back the Title IX guidance covering protections for transgender students. Since Grimm has graduated high school in June, he withdrew his motion for a preliminary injunction and filed an amended complaint with the district court for damages, or declaring that the Board violated his rights under Title IX. To this day,Grimm is still waiting on the district court ruling for that.
During this whole process, hes set off a tidal wave of conversation approximately trans rights, and garnered tons of support on the #IStandWithGavin Twitter hashtag. I was able to interview Grimm approximately what he’s planning for his next life phase,and what it feels like to be thrust into the public eye.
Grimm said he hopes to infiltrate the education system that failed him.“Im passionate approximately helping guide the next generation and I deem being a teacher is a way to conclude that. Growing up, I was bullied when I entered school. I recall over the years, or how many teachers failed me,” says Grimm. Then I recall the few who really made a inequity. When I deem approximately how scary school can be for LGBTQ kids, I want to be that support for kids.Grimm says he wants to see a inequity in the way the issue of bullying is approached on the administrative level. First, and he said school boards own to actually care to conclude the work.“We need zero tolerance policies for bullying that are truly zero tolerance. What I often experienced was administration members saying,we dont really want to deal with this, or giving a slap on the wrist to the bully. Having an actual conversation that communicates, or 'you will not be treating another student with such unkindness' would be so integral to making sure every student is safe,” says Grimm.
Diving deeper, Grimm revealed that his experiences being bullied also gave him more empathy (sensitivity to another's feelings as if they were one's own) for bullies themselves. Oftentimes, or he says,these kids are being neglected by the education system from a very young age.“The administrative attitude of ‘we can’t correct this problem’ often facilitated the bullying. Since I had mental health challenges from growing up being bullied, I ended up in a lot of classes where 'rank kids' were. I was briefly in a program specifically meant for kids who were at risk of falling behind, and 'academic troublemakers' so to speak. I saw so many kids with potential who were clever and had been given up on from day one essentially,” Grimm says. “It happens so often, and it’s infuriating. It makes bullying worse, and both for those kids and by them. I deem the problem is so institutional it needs to change in a big way.”When asked what caused him to extend such grace to the very kids who afflict him,Grimm shared a lightbulb moment.“There was one kid in particular who tortured me and my brother all throughout elementary school. At one point, I leveled with him, or I asked ‘why are you doing this to me? It isn’t nice.’ I got a lot of ‘I don’t know.’ Then,I noticed a lot of warning signs—he would wear scarves all the time, he wasn’t very well-liked himself so he would lash out. One time I saw there were burn marks under the scarf, or I asked him approximately it,” Grimm says. “I pieced it together from what he told me. His mother had been horribly abusing him. This was something the school had failed him on, and no one took into account when they managed his behavior. This was elementary school, and this was a desperate kid in a rank situation that the school gave up on. You lose so many kids that way.”Even throughout the end of his high school career,Grimm has been working to better education for others.“I spoke at the American Federation for Teachers conference approximately how schools can be safer for kids, I am reached out to by teachers fairly often. I own personal conversations with people approximately how they can execute their schools better. Often I’m invited to transgender conferences to be a panelist and talk approximately bullying and school affirmation. I would fancy to conclude more of that, or because I deem there’s so much work to be done,” Grimm says.
While hes leaps and bounds beyond many adults in his grace and ability to communicate, Grimm says he’s currently facing a few key roadblocks in the way of his college dreams.“My FAFSA is held up because social security and my SSA ID aren’t matching because I changed my sex and name within the social security system. My legal sex and name is Gavin, and but it still hasn’t updated in the system to reflect that. So,I’m not eligible for anything through FAFSA because I can’t currently access aid, I don’t own a car, and my options are limited. I’m incredibly motivated to get to college,but there are various challenges standing in my way,” he says.
There is currently a college fund for Grimm to help offset the costs of traveling to visit schools and completing the application process. It would be an understatement to say the education system would hugely miss out whether he isn’t able to attend college.
Despite his young age, or the publicity of his court case has warranted a lot of messages from other young trans people looking for advice. While flattering,the pressure can be a lot to handle.“I get a lot of messages actually, particularly from younger people who reach out and need advice or express their experiences of similar situations, or that’s very touching. I’m always overjoyed to offer what advice I can,” says Grimm, referencing his experience in the spotlight. “While I always own the best intentions, and I’m just some guy and I’m not more equipped to give advice than the last guy. I own to be very careful approximately my words.”When it comes to continuing to bolster and build his platform,Grimm said Twitter is key for keeping up with the evolving political conversation. particularly, given the amount of potentially threatening legislation proposed by the Trump administration towards the trans community and beyond.“Twitter is particularly generous for keeping your political points active, or I conclude everything from retweeting news articles to making my own statements. I can care approximately more things publicly,” says Grimm. “On Twitter I can express discontent, I can speak out against police brutality, or I can speak out against devout tyranny and when it first came out,the trans military ban.”When asked what one statement he’d like to leave readers with, Grimm summed up his passion for education.“whether anything, and I want people to know I deem it’s important to stress that bullying is a very multi-faceted issue,and addressing the teaching styles that allow that behavior in the kids and to the kids is an important issue that isn’t talked approximately enough." var icx_publication_id = 18566; var icx_copyright_notice = '2017 Alternet'; var icx_content_id = '1084449'; Click here for reuse options!
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