Her blue hair clipped up, Lilith Gaither’s upright posture accentuated the two pink and blue tiny flags forming an X-shaped crown on her head.
Gaither sat eight rows back from the front of the Amphitheater Governing Board meeting Tuesday night. She did this for three-plus hours.
Then she spoke.
“I cherish the safety and well being of our kids,” the Nash Elementary support specialist said to the board. “I want to tell you why I, a former trans kid, are here tonight.” Gaither went on to speak about transphobia and respect as the last speaker of the night.
“I implore trans kids: Remember you are not alone. Safe adults are here fighting for you.”
On Monday, Gaither learned her school, Nash Elementary, has been recommended to close by next school year as part of the Amphitheater Public Schools’ plan to right-size the district by shutting four elementary schools before next fall.
She was one of 18 speakers, the last one to address the board Tuesday and among 200 people attending the meeting.
Some spoke about staff issues, sports team participation and the shuttering of schools. Many talked about transgender youth, student safety, bathroom and locker room use during this Trans Awareness Week, which culminates in today’s Trans Remembrance Day Nov. 20. Conservative political advocacy group Turning Point Action rallied supporters over the past month to protest district practices allowing students to use facilities that align with their gender identity — messaging the group framed on social media as keeping “boys out of girls’ locker rooms.” Supporters of trans youth across all Tucson-area school districts showed up too.
About 90 minutes into the meeting, Superintendent Todd Jaeger spoke for almost 15 minutes addressing the “elephant in the room.” Jaeger said Amphi adheres to the law. He referenced a September Supreme Court case and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rulings. The district follows federal and state laws regarding discrimination, he said, allowing transgender students to use facilities that match their gender identity.
Sandwiched between a middle school chiller operations update and recognition of state champion football teams from the 1970s, about 20 people spoke in a call to the audience.
Red MAGA hats dotted the back of the room. A pink, baby blue and white trans flag was worn as a long cape. Dozens of posters floated above the heads of attendees. A “Trans kids you are loved!” T-shirt was seen next to a Trump-silhouetted T with the President standing in front of the White House and the words “Daddy’s home” in black letters.
In a moment when public meetings can mirror our divided world, this regularly scheduled school board meeting on a November Tuesday drew hundreds. Some sat on the floor, others in chairs, many stood along the walls and some waited outside because the room was at capacity. The discussion was largely civil, though moments of misgendering added an undercurrent of tension as people spoke about what mattered to them.
Over the course of the long meeting, people from across the community — teachers, parents, students, grandparents and advocates — shared their experiences and concerns about bathroom access, safety and support for transgender youth. Here are some of the voices that shaped the discussion:
“I love teaching high school students. I have had many transgender students. I do think we need to talk about solutions to make everyone comfortable, if we want to talk about all students, then we can’t misgender them. I am a proud mother of a transgender child who is all grown up now and I understand that this fear is not expected or easy to deal with. We have always tried to lead with love and compassion and I do think that empathy is one of the best traits. I have lots of students in that community and all they want is a safe place to exist. They are finding out who they are.” — Elethia Yetman, Canyon del Oro teacher
“I’m a mom in this community and chair for Turning Point action mom’s coalition. Recently the situation at CDO allowing a biological male student to use the female bathroom has concerns among the girls. They were told they could use the nurse’s bathroom. This is about ensuring safety, privacy and dignity. When the request for safety is dismissed, it can cause lifelong consequences..” — Patty Martin, Turning Point Action Pima County Moms Coalition chair
“Tonight I am speaking as an RN and sexual assault nurse examiner. Bathrooms are really important for our health. We need to drink fluids to stay hydrated and be confident there’s a bathroom we can use. Bathrooms are not sexual. … As we can embrace our differences, it enriches our lives in many ways.” — Rosemary Balza, 74, grandparent and retired registered nurse
“I’m here today because I care about the next generation and I believe every single student deserves to be valued and protected. But this is not happening at CDO High School and I am requesting you to address a biological boy using the girls restroom. A good solution needs to be put in place for him and also for the female students at CDO so he has his privacy and dignity and the girls have theirs.” — Kimberly McAllister, parent of seven children with an 18th grandchild on the way
“I want our school board to know that the Turning Point people and the people who are anti-trans are not the majority, that we have representation of trans youth in Tucson that is willing to speak and is willing to talk to them. I want them to see us as human and not as statistics.” — Kamryn MacNeil, 17, senior at Basis Tucson North who will major in engineering next year on an academic scholarship to Northern Arizona University
“I am here today to thank all of you for continuing to stand up for public education in spite of the relentless threats and cuts to funding. It’s heartbreaking to hear about upcoming school closures in this district and throughout Arizona. Across the country, well funded anti-public school groups are using scare tactics, like sharing false information about minority groups, in order to target public education. These attacks on public education are not new, and I think it’s critical for all of us here to be aware of that history. In 1954, after the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that ended segregation, some groups pushed for voucher programs to avoid desegregation, to avoid having their white students attend the same schools as children from a different racial background. Like the saying goes, if we don’t know our history, history repeats itself. Even before the current voucher program in Arizona, public school systems were not consistently funded, and were not consistently safe or accessible for all students. And for families who cannot afford to take advantage of the voucher program or homeschool their children, public schools are all they have left. The current attacks on public education only exacerbate those issues. Safe and equal access to public education for all students is a foundation of democracy. — Hazel Heinzer, parent, Amphi school district resident
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