Wisconsin congressman leads on bipartisan letter to Trump on transgender students

Democrat Ron Kind and Wisconsin Republicans did not sign the letter.

In a letter from well over a hundred members of Congress are asking President Donald Trump to reconsider rescinding federal protections for transgender students in public schools.   

An issue of equal rights, dignity and respect for those students, says the letter. 

None of Wisconsin’s Republican members of Congress signed the letter and neither did La Crosse Democrat Ron Kind.

From The Center: 7 Rivers LGBTQ Connection in La Crosse, Jesscia Polacek would agree. She worries the individual rights of all transgender people seem to be in growing danger.

“It does feel, in some ways, not the administration as a whole, but society really, we’re seeing things go in reverse,” Polacek said. “We saw so much progress made over the last 10 years with the previous administration. Certain things we were able to accomplish here in La Crosse, in the state and across the nation.”

Trump’s action last week essentially reversed the federal protections for transgender students at schools mandated by the Obama administration. The bipartisan letter has been signed by 122 members of Congress, led by Wisconsin’s Mark Pocan, the LGBT Equality Caucus co-chair. 

“When everybody was campaigning, I heard friends say Trump is pro LGBT and he’s going to stand by you guys,” Polacek said. “Now, we’re seeing him go back on his word.”

A promise that seemed pretty simple to keep in her mind.

“Whether we’re taking things like marriage equality or transgender access to bathrooms or protecting trans students,” she said, “it comes down to just treating people the way they ought to be treated.”

The letter in its entirety can be read here.