Fremont Highschool debuts 'Transition Closet' for students to hide LGBT lifestyle from parents
A California school is reportedly utilizing a makeshift wardrobe called "The Transition Closet" for students so they can change when they arrive at school if they don't want their parents to know about their apparent gender dysphoria.
The program was first launched at a Fayetteville, Arkansas church and was designed to "let trans-identified youth circumvent their parents and socially transition without their knowledge," according to a report by The Post Millennial. The closet, now adopted by the Fremont Highschool of Oakland, California, features videos teaching girls how to bind their breasts in order to appear more masculine. The program recently received a grant from the Arkansas LGBTQ+ Advancement Fund to "provide gender-affirming clothing and accessories for transgender and non-binary Arkansans."
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"We are extremely excited to begin our journey in working with Fremont Highschool of Oakland California, alongside our favorite teacher of TikTok @justaqueerteacher," the Transition Closet wrote in a Facebook statement. "The near future holds transition closet(s) and services throughout the school district for students of the Trans/Nonbinary/Intersex and additional LGBTQIA+ Community Members[.] We are currently in need of clothing donations to help kick start the first School-Based Transition Closet[.] If you are in or near the Oakland CA area and are able to donate clothing, please reach out to Alexander Brodie at (520)912-6882 ax.switzer@validbybrodie.com Or Instagram @tomofoakland."
Thomas Martin-Edwards, a Spanish teacher for the Oakland Unified School District and founder of the Queer Teacher Fellowship, explained in a video that the goal of the program is "for our students to wear the clothes that their parents approve of, come to school, and then swap out into the clothes that fit who they truly are." Martin-Edwards has previously served as the assistant principal of the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, according to The Post Millennial.
"And I use the idea that this is like Superman changing in a phone booth. But that idea actually goes a lot further than that. Because Superman isn't Clark Kent," he continued. "Clark Kent is actually the disguise. And when Clark Kent goes into the phone booth, he transforms into Superman, who is really just who he truly is, Kal-El. So this gives our trans students the opportunity to be the superheroes that we know they are," Martin-Edwards added.
“The goal of the transition closet is for our students to wear the clothes that their parents approve of, come to school and then swap out into the clothes that fit who they truly are.” pic.twitter.com/Ba4EN8OfNw
— Teachers Exposed 🛡⚔️ (@Teacher_Exposed) February 15, 2022
The Transition Closet also has an online repository of videos teaching transitioning girls how to "bind their breast so they appear more masculine," et cetera. The report stated that Martin-Edwards recently spoke with Alexander Brodie Switzer of Valid by Brodie, a group that aims to set up "Transition Closets worldwide."
"My principal just approved our district's first Transition Closet. We'll be working with the organization The Transition Closet to provide clothes for transgender, non-binary and gender exploring youth, who maybe don't have the access or the safety to get those clothes in their personal lives," Martin-Edwards told Switzer. "They'll be able to come to school and change into the clothes that make them feel more at home and more like themselves. And I just think that's lovely," he added.