My name is Jazmine Lagunas Guerrero and I go to SOAR High School in Lancaster. I like that we value community and family here in the Antelope Valley. But people don't realize that living here can be really difficult for some of our youth. Youth who identify as LGBTQ, and especially young people who identify as transgender, face a lot of challenges to simply make it through each day here. Kids who are transgender have known on a deep level that their gender is different from the sex they were born with. It is a hard concept for many people to understand, which is OK. Still it's important for me, and I hope it's important for everyone else in our community, that all youth are given the opportunity to do well in school and are not singled out and excluded because of who they are. AB 1266, a law that went into effect in January, gives important guidance to schools so they can work with youth and families on a case-by-case basis to ensure every student can do well. It makes sure that all students, including transgender students, can use facilities and play on sports teams that match their identity. This law does not create co-ed bathrooms. Girls and boys bathrooms are separate, and this law doesn’t change that. If you live your life as a boy, you use the boy’s bathroom, and if you live your life as a girl you use the girl’s bathroom. Several school districts have already adopted new policies to support all students since AB 1266 was enacted last year. The California School Board Association has issued guidance for districts, encouraging them to adopt policies to ensure all youth can fully participate in school as themselves. LAUSD, the second largest district in the country, has had a policy in place for years, and no problems have ever arisen. Yet in the Antelope Valley, young people are struggling daily, with their education, health, and well-being at risk. At my high school, we all come to school to study and to learn. It doesn't matter to me if you're a boy or girl, transgender or not. Please support all students in our district, so that all Antelope Valley youth have a chance to do well in school and thrive.