A New Jersey boy who made history this year when he became the first transgender Cub Scout says it’s a mistake for President Donald Trump to roll back a key protection for transgender students.
The White House this week said that it was nixing a directive from the previous administration that states let transgender students use the bathroom of their choice. But Joe Maldonado, 9, said the decision is “wrong.”
“Some governors will probably say no,” he told MSNBC on Thursday. “And I don’t think any states should be for that rule.”
“What do you want to say to those governors who say maybe, no, little boys should not share bathrooms ― who they believe are little boys should not share bathrooms with little girls or vice versa?,” reporter Katy Tur asked him.
“I think it’s ridiculous,” said Maldonado, who initially was banned from joining the Cub Scouts. The Boy Scouts of America reversed its decision in January after a public backlash.
“Oh my gosh, it’s just ridiculous,” he continued. “It doesn’t matter of your gender. It matters how you feel.”
His mother, who also appeared on the show, agreed.
“I don’t think it’s fair,” Kristie Maldonado said. “I don’t think it should be up to the state because I feel that one transgender is protected and the other state won’t be protected. I think they should all be equal.”
The issue first gained national attention after North Carolina lawmakers passed a bill last year banning people from using the bathroom of their choice, rather than the one corresponding to the gender on their birth certificate.
Watch the video above, courtesy of Media Matters.
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