I have been a Nurse since the mid-1980s and am now a professor in a VA state university. My experience has shown me that youth can clearly have an appreciation for their gender...especially when they are labeled a gender that does not match themselves. Please don't give credibility to the ill-informed who claim there is no reason for schools or the State to become involved in these issues. We need to protect the vulnerable. It is foolish to think that these policies would 'hurt or harm' other children. We have had numerous transgender students become Registered Nurses after completing our programs. Their ability to engage with fellow students, patients, and other healthcare workers was not at all affected by their gender identity. We must resist the false belief that "it is the parents' responsibility" because we know that parents have had a history of abusing, terrorizing, or rejecting their children who don't meet their expectations as a 'young man' or 'proper young lady.' Our society is much too diverse to pretend that we all must fit into one of two small, limited boxes. Lastly, I will say that democracy is more about protecting the rights of the minority (esp. the vulnerable, stigmatized, or marginalized) than it is about protecting the 'purity' of the majority (whose rights are much less likely to be trampled upon).  I strongly support the rights of transgender youth in our schools!