During a regular Board of Education meeting on August 26, Ann Arbor\u2019s elected school board took a gamble and decided to revise the policy, but just slightly, to see if it would be enough to get the feds off their back. Anne Arundel in Maryland also amended its policy<\/a>. Jay Sloan, Neutral Zone\u2019s adult advisor to Riot Youth, sardonically called the district\u2019s move \u201cinteresting.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s very intriguing,\u201d Sloan said slyly. But more seriously: \u201cWe’re seeing a lot, globally, of people who historically have shown up as allies, really backtracking. And that’s a really scary thing. There was a time where it was profitable to be an ally, and now that that time is no longer here, which is when it really counts. Now you have less to gain and more to lose. That’s when allyship is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n M.L., a junior at an Ann Arbor high school who spoke to TransLash on condition of anonymity, discovered that the school board was voting to change its policy protecting trans student privacy while its August 26 meeting was already underway. The vote to change the policy had been added to the meeting agenda earlier that same day \u2014 a process that normally requires at least two weeks\u2019 notice to the public. As the board amended its policy<\/a> on trans and gender-nonconforming students in an attempt to appease the Trump administration, there was no opportunity for public comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The board changed the language<\/a> of the policy\u2019s first paragraph to state that, while school staff should attempt to maintain student confidentiality, \u201cWhen disclosure is legally required, the school should, where practicable, provide the student an opportunity and appropriate support to make the disclosure.\u201d Clearly attempting to address DOE concerns, they wrote: \u201cNothing in this paragraph restricts a parent or eligible student\u2019s right to inspect and review education records under FERPA or requires student consent when the parent holds that right.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n M.L. said he and other trans students were angry, but not surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was really upset about how it happened. They didn’t do it in a way that let anyone feel heard or valued or brought anyone on their side at all. I could see a world in which they say, \u2018we know we need to comply in some way. But it is still worth it to us to engage our community,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThey changed language that they can’t go back on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At its next regular meeting two weeks later, the Board of Education assured students that teachers would be trained on the new policy, and that nothing would change in effect; trans students could still confide in their teachers with information about their gender identity, and nothing in the policy mandated that teachers call home or reveal that information on demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It felt like such a slap in the face, because I am a trans student and I have been outright discriminated against and harassed by teachers,\u201d said M.L. The only way to ensure trans student protection from the possibility of being outed is a strong policy, which has now been weakened, he said. \u201cThis change paves the road toward teachers being compelled to out students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n These policies matter because, at least in theory, they create an environment in which a student who is exploring questions of gender identity can confide in adults at school without the fear of being outed to a potentially hostile parent. Trans kids can face verbal and physical abuse, houselessness, and forced gender conversion therapy, among other risks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “The kids actually put at risk by this policy can’t speak about it themselves,\u201d M.L. explained. \u201cThis currently mainly affects kids who would be in an unsafe situation if they were out as trans to their families. As a result, they cannot speak on the potential harm of being outed to their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some have argued that, because of Ann Arbor\u2019s overall progressive environment, it\u2019s unlikely that a student would get outed by a teacher. M.L. says that goes against his experience: \u201cNo place is 100% safe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s notable that calls to reduce trans protections, in Ann Arbor and many other communities under attack by the administration, are not coming from inside these districts. Both local advocates and school board members in Ann Arbor told TransLash that the complaints around trans youth \u2014 whether it\u2019s their role in sports, or their privacy rights at school \u2014 have come not from local parents, but from outsiders. Parental complaints inside the district about trans- and queer-affirming policies are virtually nonexistent. In places like Anne Arundel County, where there are parents actually complaining<\/a>, they are generally backed by conservative legal groups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But in these localities, many parents and educators are vocally supportive of trans people. In Ann Arbor, dozens showed up in protest after the abrupt policy change. At the September 9<\/a> Board of Education meeting, parent Kami Michels, who has a transgender child in an Ann Arbor school, spoke to the board with a shaky voice: \u201cMy child\u2019s gender identity is not gossip; it\u2019s not something that should be casually shared from one adult to another. For some transgender kids, being outed isn\u2019t simply uncomfortable or embarrassing \u2014 it can mean rejection, it can mean losing family member support, it can mean emotional or physical danger. For some kids, being outed can be life-threatening.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Emma Kenny, a transgender former student of Skyline High, a public school in Ann Arbor, said she was dismayed to hear that the board decided to change the policy without consulting transgender students or their families. The original policy passed in 2018, Kenny argued, was crafted by experts who carefully considered how to protect trans students while complying with federal law.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI believe that you all have good intentions,\u201d she said at the meeting. \u201cNevertheless, the changes made that night expose trans kids to forced outing by any school personnel that choose to do so.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Evan Murphy, a former student in the district, attested that he had been a part of the original activism that led to these policies. \u201c10 years ago, my classmates and I were part of a movement to encourage this body to adopt protections for LGBTQ youth,\u201d he said. \u201cTo say I am disappointed to be standing here under similar pretenses today is an understatement. You will never be able to come to the table and meet in the middle with people who simply do not want trans people to exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Neutral Zone, staff also defended trans students: \u201cYoung people need to authentically be able to experience their gender,\u201d said Neutral Zone\u2019s executive director, Lori Roddy. \u201cI think districts should be supporting young people, period.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The district\u2019s decision to swiftly accommodate Trump did not go over well with its constituents, and the district\u2019s attempt to appease the Trump administration did not work. Five days after the September 9 public meeting, the Trump administration retaliated with a new letter<\/a>, and the case went from being a Department of Education threat to a legal threat from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Civil Rights Division. The DOJ had perceived, correctly, that the district had attempted to change the policy without changing the practice. The letter quoted statements made by school board members including board president Torchio Feaster and member Susan Schmidt to make its point. It appears the Trump administration had been watching the local school board meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That letter gave the school board 14 days to fully rescind its policy or risk litigation. Board President Feaster said in an interview with TransLash that the board is disappointed with the outcome. The previous revisions to the policy, he said, were an attempt to give the government reassurance without changing the practice and spirit of protecting trans kids. \u201cWe believe we were always in compliance, and we continue to believe that we are in compliance. We made these changes to clarify the policy per the government\u2019s asks of the district.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In response to the criticism from students and parents, Feaster said, \u201cI\u2019m sorry the public is unhappy with that. We do the best we can to maintain our fiduciary responsibility to the district and to take care of our students.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Ann Arbor Board of Education has no plans to revisit the policy, and had no scheduled meetings before the 14-day deadline passed. It has retained legal counsel to prepare for possible litigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n During the first few weeks of the 2026-2027 school year, the Trump administration\u2019s smattering of threatening letters and lawsuits has sent school boards and administrators across the country into disarray. Progressive school board leaders like those in Ann Arbor find themselves torn between complying with policies that are abhorrent to their constituents, or putting up a fight and risking the additional wrath of the Trump administration. District leaders, some of whom spoke to TransLash off the record, want to do the right thing while avoiding legal liability and staying under the radar \u2014 an almost impossible combination in many cases. Trans youth are the unwilling fodder for these unseemly and unwanted debates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the summer, in an apparent attempt to intimidate school districts that are supportive of trans students, the U.S. Department of Education sent several letters threatening to pull funding over trans-affirming policies. The letters received by Ann Arbor and Anne Arundel echo the administration\u2019s<\/a> targeting<\/a> of Denver Public Schools, Bethel School District in Washington state, and the Minnesota Department of Education, which all received threatening letters in July. The Department of Education is also openly battling<\/a> California and Washington schools over their trans protections. On September 17, the Trump administration added<\/a> a Massachusetts school district to its list of targets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There does not appear to be a clear formula as to whether or when the administration will further pursue or punish districts that fail to come into compliance. While much of Trump\u2019s bullying can be ostentatious, the administration often follows through with its threats. Last month, after the Kansas City, Kansas school district declined to change its trans-friendly policies, the DOJ filed a lawsuit<\/a> against the district, alleging the district \u201cdirects staff to develop and implement \u2018transitioning\u2019 plans for children\u2019s so-called \u2018gender identity\u2019 without informing or obtaining consent from their parents.\u201d In Virginia in 2025, five school districts were told they would receive federal funds by reimbursement only<\/a> as a consequence for upholding policies that allow students to use gendered facilities that align with their identity. But as of now, no school district has had federal funds cut over trans-friendly policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re seeing examples of school districts that are faltering under the pressure of the possible investigation into them and their finances,\u201d said J. Gia Loving, the co-executive director of the GSA Network, which works with more than 1000 queer youth clubs around the country. Even when districts stand up to the administration, the publicity works to intimidate others. \u201cNot only are folks intimidated by actual letters they\u2019re receiving, but it\u2019s letters that schools next to them are receiving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While California, Washington, and Minnesota are all defending their policies at the state level, the only individual school district to go on the offense against the administration so far is Jefferson County (Jeffco), the second largest school district in Colorado. The Trump administration has repeated claims<\/a> that there are 61 boys playing on girls sports teams in Jeffco, but the district maintains that all of the alleged boys on the roster are team mascots, coaches, and assistants. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In July, Jeffco sued the Trump administration<\/a> to prevent their funding from being cut off following a year of threats, investigations, and disinformation launched from the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Justice. The lawsuit points out that Colorado law requires the district to protect trans students, while the Trump administration says it will pull $50 million of federal funds<\/a> from Jeffco for following the state law. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The GSA Network, meanwhile, is suing the state of Texas on behalf of its student clubs, which have been banned from the schools since the passage of SB12 in 2025. The law<\/a> targets diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the public schools and prohibits educators from supporting trans students in what the law calls \u201csocial transitioning,\u201d which actually means supporting students\u2019 choices of names and pronouns. Calling it \u201cone of the most extreme<\/a> education censorship laws in the country,\u201d the ACLU of Texas and the Transgender Law Center filed litigation on behalf of the GSA Network and several other groups and individuals in 2025. A federal judge issued an injunction<\/a> in February 2026 requiring Texas not to enforce key parts of SB12 in the districts subject to the lawsuit, which are Houston, Katy, and Plano. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ann Arbor Public Schools were already in the middle of an anti-trans controversy that garnered unwanted national attention last year. A right-wing sports blogger from Connecticut caught wind that there was a trans athlete playing for the Skyline High School girls\u2019 volleyball team, and proceeded to attend at least four games and publish over a dozen articles<\/a> about it on OutKick, a conservative sports website. Right-wing social media picked up on the story in September 2025, and within a few weeks, all of Michigan\u2019s female Republican legislators sent a joint letter<\/a> demanding to know whether the girl had a waiver approved by the state\u2019s high school athletics association prior to playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The situation escalated in December when the high school athletics director for the nearby Monroe School District went on a podcast and expressed sympathy for the teen who was targeted. \u201cMy heart goes out to\u201d her, Monroe Athletics Director Chet Hesson told<\/a> Uncloseted Media. <\/em>He was placed on administrative leave shortly after. Meanwhile, a Monroe School District parent filed a Title IX complaint against the district, which was investigated and found to be unsubstantiated.<\/a> In Ann Arbor, the young athlete\u2019s school principal, team, and district stood by her right to play and refused to identify or \u201cout\u201d her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The debate temporarily became an interdistrict battle. Following Hesson\u2019s suspension, 30 Ann Arbor area leaders, including the mayor, signed a letter of protest<\/a> addressed to the leadership at Monroe Public Schools. The City of Ann Arbor also issued a press release saying, \u201cthe decision to punish an educator and school leader simply for showing compassion to a vulnerable student who had become the subject of intense, targeted, and hateful bullying by adults is unconscionable. It sends the chilling and harmful message to all students\u2026that standing up for them comes at a cost.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Chet Hesson was finally reinstated<\/a> after four months on leave and after the Title IX complaint had been cleared \u2014 Michigan\u2019s statewide policy allows transgender girls to play high school women\u2019s sports with a waiver. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In June, the Trump administration, unsatisfied with this outcome, announced<\/a> it too would investigate Ann Arbor, Monroe, and a third Michigan school district for allegedly violating Title IX protections. Their claim is that cisgender girls are being discriminated against by having to play sports with trans girls. On September 2, a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit<\/a> against California based on similar complaints. But even with a specious argument and a losing legal battle, the damage in many places is done. Trans girls, and trans kids in general, have become a lightning rod for hate campaigns<\/a> often spearheaded by outsiders to their communities. And instead of talking about how to support students<\/a> and keep them safe, districts like Ann Arbor and Jeffco end up debating the best strategy to keep Trump off their backs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Department of Education and the Department of Justice appear to be targeting districts in liberal states and cities. Ann Arbor is one such bubble. But its status as a safer location for queer and trans youth is hard-earned. Riot Youth and the local GSA and QSA groups have worked for decades to advocate for trans youth. Many young people, then and now, have fled the surrounding conservative areas to come to safer spaces in Ann Arbor. With the numbers of supportive parents<\/a> growing, there are also many stories of parents moving their queer and trans kids into the district. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past three decades, the school environment has changed dramatically \u2014 not simply because Ann Arbor is a progressive town, but because queer and trans youth there have advocated for specific changes and rallied parents and educators to their cause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One Ann Arbor student, a gender-fluid junior at Huron High School, says that when they started at Huron, they were pleasantly surprised by the supportive environment. \u201cThe teachers always ask students their preferred pronouns on the first day of school,\u201d they said. \u201cSometimes when they know that a student is trans or queer, they\u2019ll check in on the side and say, \u2018Hey, how\u2019s it going for you?\u2019 Teachers care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This student started ninth grade in 2024 at a high school with gender-neutral bathrooms, caring teachers, and the ability to flag their preferred name and pronouns for teachers and substitutes in school files. All of this was pushed forward by youth activism and adult allyship. And all of this is at risk under the Trump administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey’re coming after Ann Arbor because of all the amazing work the young people did to organize,\u201d said Laura Wernick, who was the adult advisor to Riot Youth from 2007 until 2012. \u201cAnd I think [they\u2019re] picking on the wrong kids.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/translash.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/IMG_9025-1024x768.jpg\")
Students and their allies criticize \u201ccompliance in advance\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/translash.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/hananiahNZkitchen-1024x683.jpg\")
Trump targeting puts school districts in a bind<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Trans youth activism created these policies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Two](\"https:\/\/translash.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/buttoning-up-NZ-1024x683.jpg\")