Linda Demirjian, Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, a national civil rights organization, said that while it is “always important to support transgender students” it’s “even more important to not support anti-LGBT teachers and administrators.” She added, “A high school counselor who bullies students for being different isn’t a school counselor who can assist them with that future opportunity and who they should trust to take care of that future.”

While many media outlets did not include in their coverage of the story any interviews with the students, students actually did speak up to try and change the minds of the administrators. This is something that should have been reported by all media outlets.

Here are a few quotes from the students themselves:

“This was an effort that had to be started. Teachers have not known their students this way. That is why this was called out, this is why I think it’s something that’s really important to understand” – one student.

“The most important thing is that this isn’t an isolated incident. We are talking about a very big problem here. I would like this to be recognized so we can change it and hopefully get these people out of the work place.” – another student.

“The fact that this happened at all makes me think that it might not have taken away [the school’s] commitment to being a progressive institution.” – a third student.

“As soon as someone from this school told them I was transgender—’So I can’t transition’? They made it very clear that trans people were not valid, they would not take me seriously.” – another student.

“I am proud to have done my part. I am proud of the students and proud of the whole community for showing this is not acceptable and we need to support each other.” – another student.

“Some of the students told me they were disappointed that they had to deal with an anti-trans counselor and not a supportive one. It makes me really sad for them because in my mind I saw this counselor as a positive role model,” said one student.

So, the transgender students in this story told our reporters how “unimportant” being told that they were “not welcome” was by the school as a way of “shaming them for being transgender” and “demeaning them.” That’s all they learned from the hate speech of a bully who thought they couldn’t