Not surprisingly, an anti-transgender bill being debated in Wisconsin was crafted largely by the anti-LGBT, conservative Christian group Wisconsin Family Action, the Capital Times reports:

The author of a Republican bill aimed at regulating transgender students’ school bathroom use worked closely with the president of a conservative Christian group to craft the legislation, according to emails obtained through an open records request.

The emails show that Rep. Jesse Kremer, R-Kewaskum, had several meetings and conversations about the proposal with Wisconsin Family Action president Julaine Appling, dating back to last spring. Appling worked closely with Kremer on crafting the language of the bill, and offered advice on how to deal with a Republican senator who appeared to oppose the measure.

FAIR Wisconsin, an LGBT civil rights organization, has said defeating the bill is its number one priority this legislative session. But Appling said last week pushing the proposal is a “top-drawer priority” for the group.

“It’s certainly important for our organization, as a standard bearer, to be involved in this issue,” Appling said in an interview last week.

Rep. Melissa Sargent, a Democrat from Madison, criticized the bill in an opinion piece for the Capitol Times:

The bill’s author says it will “reinforce societal norms.” Honestly. This bill legislates hate, divides communities, and discriminates against our students. It sets up situations in our schools that are dangerous for some of our most vulnerable youth. Not surprisingly, not one elected official met with anyone in the transgender or LGBTQ community to discuss this bill before introducing it.

Time and time again the GOP has looked for the next group to assign “otherness” to. This is not a new phenomenon. From the civil rights movement to the fight for marriage equality, Republicans have preyed on groups that do not conform to their narrow worldview. In this instance they are targeting youth who are very likely among the most vulnerable already.

The Badger Herald reports that more than 60 Wisconsin school districts have adopted transgender nondiscrimination policies and there have been zero safety issues, despite claims by Republican lawmakers:

Brian Juchems, senior director of GSAFE, an organization dedicated to creating just schools for LGBTQ youth, said though he agrees schools need guidance on this particular issue, the legislation Kremer and Nass put forth isn’t the right solution.

“That’s not the guidance that schools are looking for,” Juchems said. “They frame it as a safety and privacy issue, and the reality is the policy is basically saying, ‘Well, if you’re a transgender girl, you can’t use the girl’s bathroom.’”

Juchems said 60 districts in Wisconsin have nondiscriminatory policies toward transgender students, and there have been no safety issues. He said he wants legislators to present evidence that safety issues actually are a problem.

Juchems said forcing transgender students to use a separate bathroom further alienates them in school. He said instead, lawmakers should modernize the state’s non-discrimination policy to protect transgender individuals from discrimination.

Wisconsin
In Verona, a suburb of Madison, the school district has set up a transgender policy committee geared toward increasing inclusion in the district. There are already some tensions on the committee, especially among the religious, Connect Verona reports:

Before the transgender policy committee’s second meeting, on Oct. 15, Verona pastor Jeremy Scott passed around a memo questioning the concept of embracing alternate gender identities.

Though Scott acknowledged the importance of creating some sort of policy, the document mentioned studies and other reasons to focus on more incremental changes, including what he cited as a lack of understanding of whether transgender feelings are real or not and whether efforts to help “actually make it worse” for those questioning their gender.

“At the very least, we should acknowledge that the medical community is not unanimous in asserting that transgender feeling should be affirmed as fact,” Scott wrote. “This should influence any policy that we recommend.”

His perspective differed from that of most others on the committee, which includes parents of transgender children and a transgender woman LGBT youth advocate, and it did not receive much discussion after the initial mention.

But it showed the range of opinions on the committee, which was formed in recent months to create specific policies relating to transgender students in the district. While the district has non-discrimination and bullying policies, topics such as athletic participation and bathroom use are not clearly defined here, as they are in nearby districts like Madison.

Committee members broke into smaller groups to focus on the main features of a potential policy on transgender students: bullying/harassment, privacy/confidentiality, official records/pronouns and gender segregated activities/areas of dress code. District public information officer Kelly Kloepping is also expected to contribute potential policy for media and community communication.

Iowa
Iowa Western Community College has created gender inclusive housing policies, the Press Citizen reports:

Mikey Fletcher first started evaluating Iowa Western Community College on the strength of its business program.
But when he learned about the school’s Pride Q*mmunity, he stopped considering other schools.
“My eyes shot open, and I wanted to know more,” said Fletcher, 23.
Fletcher, who is transgender, had other schools tell him he would have to receive the consent of every other resident on that floor to live in a male dorm. Other schools offered gender-neutral options that would allow him to choose roommates regardless of gender, but only in housing farther away from the center of campus.
At the Council Bluffs-based IWCC, however, students starting this year were given the option of joining the Pride Q*mmunity, in which they would be assigned a roommate based on their gender identity or expression rather than their legal sex.
“To be able to live in a dorm (as a male) with no hassle … that would be amazing,” said Fletcher. “Ever since I found out, I’ve basically set my sights here.”

North Dakota
The Human Rights Campaign was in North Dakota to train activists to pass LGBT non-discrimination laws:

Last week, HRC hosted a training in Bismarck, North Dakota, for local and state LGBT activists to advance non-discrimination policies throughout the Peace Garden State.
The Bush Foundation funded the training and openly gay North Dakota State Representative Josh Boschee helped secure the event. Boschee has been extremely active in the fight for LGBT equality, pushing for a statewide non-discrimination bill this past legislative session. The bill passed in the Senate, but failed in the House.
At the training, we discussed the work that has brought us to this point and the work ahead of us. Additionally, we talked about best practices, the most effective messaging and how to reach elected officials and persuadable voters.
As we listened to attendees practice their testimony, we heard emotional stories from members of the LGBT and ally community. In addition to the individual advocates, representatives from other advocacy organizations, including the ACLU of North Dakota, the President of the ND AFL-CIO, Dakota OutRight and Planned Parenthood, attended the session.