‘Transgender’ dictionary lookups surge after Justice Department letter to schools

Transgender rights have become a national conversation topic since North Carolina passed its controversial “bathroom bill,” and search data reveals that many Americans may be struggling to learn more about LGBT issues and understand what being transgender means.

Merriam-Webster revealed that searches for “transgender” in its online dictionary surged 630 percent after the Obama administration on Friday sent an open letter to public schools across the country with guidelines for supporting transgender students.

The letter, signed by officials from the U.S. Justice and Education Departments, calls for public schools to allow transgender students to use the restrooms that align with their gender identities.

Emily A. Brewster, associate editor for Merriam-Webster, told Yahoo News that the site has been tracking searches for years and that it’s fascinating to see how big news stories affect the frequency of searches for certain words.

For example, users also searched for “triskaidekaphobia,” which means fear of the number 13, on Friday the 13th. Last week, after Donald Trump became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, searches for “presumptive” spiked.

“Politics really is the biggest driver. I think one of the interesting facts about all this is that it’s not that people don’t know what these mean. It seems they are words that people want to know more about,” Brewster said.

The analytics help lexicographers prioritize the entries that need to be revised or updated most quickly.

“The word [transgender] is a frequently looked-up word anyway,” Brewster said. “The issues dealing with gender and sexuality are a very prominent part of the cultural conversation that’s happening in our country and the world right now, so these are important terms all the time.”

Often, people want to make sure they are using a word like “transgender” in the correct way.

“To have a directive like the kind that came from the Obama administration that’s directed at all the nation’s public schools really brings interest in this particular term to the fore,” Brewster said.

The letter that sparked all this interest grew from an ordinance the Charlotte City Council passed in February that prohibited discrimination against transgender people and affirmed their right to use the public restroom they deem most appropriate. The following month, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed House Bill 2 (HB2) into law, which reversed what he considered Charlotte’s overreach.

The controversy over transgender rights and bathrooms was in the spotlight this week. (Photo: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters)

Merriam-Webster defines transgender as: “of, relating to, or being a person (as a transsexual or transvestite) who identifies with or expresses a gender identity that differs from the one which corresponds to the person’s sex at birth.”

In addition to those web searches, the letter sparked a wide array of emotions and responses.

Nick Adams, director of GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program, said the letter is a huge step forward and acknowledges that transgender students simply want to go to school and learn, like any other student.

He noted that California has had a similar law on the books since January 2014 and that the Los Angeles Unified School District, in particular, has had a similar policy for over a decade.

“It’s important to note that states like California and school districts like LAUSD have been successfully implementing policies like these without incident,” Adams told Yahoo News. “How you are treated as a transgender student shouldn’t be based on geography, which is why the possibility of Obama setting a national standard is so important.”

Similarly, Chris Sgro, executive director of Equality North Carolina, told Yahoo News that the Obama administration’s guidelines should be applauded. He said being a teenager is difficult enough without discrimination.

“I think we all can relate to the fact that it’s incredibly difficult to be a teenager and be successful in academic life and school,” Sgro said over the phone. “Transgender students don’t need that to be any harder than it is.”

In a news release, Human Rights Campaign (HRC) president Chad Griffin described Obama’s guidelines as “groundbreaking” and said they provide public school districts with important information.

“This is a truly significant moment not only for transgender young people but for all young people, sending a message that every student deserves to be treated fairly and supported by their teachers and schools,” Griffin said.

HRC legal director Sarah Warbelow said there is an “immediate and overwhelming need” to recognize the rights of transgender students under federal law.

“Transgender youth are already at heightened risk of experiencing violence, bullying, and harassment, and North Carolina’s action exacerbates those risks by creating a hostile environment in one of the places they should feel the safest,” she said in the release.

The letter says schools that practice sex discrimination (which it says includes discrimination based on gender identity) cannot receive financial assistance from the federal government, citing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick listens to a reporter’s question during a news conference at the Texas Republican Convention in Dallas on Friday. (Photo: LM Otero/AP)

But it was not without its critics.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed to help defend North Carolina against Friday’s guidelines. “I announced today that Texas is fighting this. Obama can’t rewrite the Civil Rights Act. He’s not a King,” he tweeted.

The state’s Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said Texas would forgo billions of dollars in federal funds aimed at public schools in order to defy the guidelines for transgender students and public school bathrooms.

Obama’s announcement comes amid fierce controversy and a legal battle over North Carolina’s HB2, which says a person must use public restrooms that correspond with his or her biological sex (as listed on a birth certificate), as opposed to gender identity.

Earlier this week, the U.S. Justice Department filed a civil rights lawsuit against the state of North Carolina.

“They created state-sponsored discrimination against transgender individuals, who simply seek to engage in the most private of functions in a place of safety and security — a right taken for granted by most of us,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said at a news conference Monday.

The following day, the National Association of Secondary School Principals announced that it intends to adopt a position statement in support of transgender rights after final consideration by its board in July. The statement acknowledges hardships faced by transgender students and provides guidelines for better supporting them within the educational system.

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