Students and some parents are upset with the D11 board vice president, Jason Jorgenson, and board member Al Loma after Jorgenson said that he does not find it appropriate for staff to ask students about their gender, sexuality, or pronouns, regardless of age. Students protested outside the D11 administration building on February 27th.

Loma had said that he was offended when transgender people want to be called their preferred pronouns. Shelby Crespo, a Coronado junior, and a member of the LGBTQ+ community, said, “All I know is that it was supposed to start at 10 and end at 3:09 And it was for LGBTQ community.”

Inside Out, an LGBTQ+ youth services in Colorado Springs, posted on Facebook, “in fact when an adult makes the effort to ask a young person their pronouns, it removes the guesswork and creates a sense of safety for that youth.”

Students should feel safe around teachers and staff with their preferred pronouns instead of being unsafe by being misgendered by teachers and staff. Hopefully, the protesters’ voices were heard.