Amidst executive orders from President Trump that target programs such as gender and ethnic studies in schools across America, the Santa Cruz Democratic Party has conjured a plan to safeguard student’s educational and personal rights.
According to Senator John Laird, the organization is trying to prioritize legislation that will protect LGBTQ+ students and their rights and prioritizing budget and funding that will go towards said protection.
“Whether it’s changing the law on markers for trans kids and adults, implementing the safe school programs everywhere, making sure wellness centers are funded for schools, or implementing the state advisory committee of LGBT youth that was adopted in legislation, we’re just working across the board, and it’s a challenging time,” Laird says.
Other members of the Santa Cruz democratic party, like Mayor Fred Keely have been working on legislation to reaffirm legal protections
“A few weeks ago, we specifically re-committed ourselves to being a sanctuary city, and specifically in it, we mentioned protections and affirmative commitment to the LGBTQ+ community, not just our immigrant community,” Said Keely
The City’s board of supervisors passed a resolution last month entitled Resolution Reaffirming the County’s Commitment to Protecting the Rights, Advancing Equity, and Ensuring the Wellbeing of LGBTQ+ Individuals and Women, which aims to continue providing necessary services to vulnerable community members in the coming times.
However, on a personal note to students, Dr Faris Sabbah, the county superintendent of Santa Cruz public schools, says that the state law is going to continue to protect students regardless of what the current presidential administration tries to do to undermine federal laws.
“The second thing is to really ensure that the policies that we have in every school district in our county are in place so we can continue demonstrating our commitment to the LGBTQ community,” He reaffirmed.
College students are also worrying over these bans, as programs like ethnic studies and gender studies are targeted in the executive orders, both of which Cabrillo provides for students.
When asked how Cabrillo will specifically tackle the matter, Adam Spickler, a member of Cabrillo’s board of trustees, said,
“We are poised already to stand up for and stand up against what is happening at a federal level. We’ve got a governing board, an administration, a faculty, and a community of support for the college, which isn’t going to roll over.”
“We have already made public statements very much affirming our trans and nonbinary students and all of our LGBTQ+ students, and all of that support will continue. We are committed to making sure there is no discrimination and that we are following the letter of the law in the state because the state offers protections that go far beyond Title 9. So I have every confidence that the college is looking to follow in the state’s really good footsteps.”
From a Cabrillo Student’s perspective, Mars Redmon added “I’m in a gender studies class right now, and the teacher mentioned that while they’re going to keep teaching, they did get an email from the federal government saying they can’t keep teaching this. So I think there’s a lot of fear regarding knowledge and education,”
Although it doesn’t seem like any policy change will directly hurt Cabrillo students, GSA attendance has increased due to more anxiety on campus, says Redmon.
With anxiety and tensions rising among students, Senator Laird had this advice for young members of the LGBTQ+ community who are worried, stating:
“First, it gets better. And sometimes you don’t think it’ll get better, but it will. Stick together, be authentic, and be true to who you are. But organize with your friends and your family in a way that gives you a support system in place to get through this in every way. It’s going to be challenging.”
