Every generation since America’s birth has crucified the previous one for being a little late to adapt to the new generation’s forward thinking, especially when it comes to social issues. Many transgender people are still widely misunderstood and under-represented, but with the new bill AB1266 they may finally get some justice on their side.

On July 12, 2013 Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed AB1266 into law, which will allow transgendered students to pick which bathroom they want to use in public schools according to their gender identity. California is the third state to enact such a bill; Connecticut and Massachusetts grant the same protections to students. Bill author, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, believes the bill is a positive step forward for transgender rights.

“We had children testify in the Assembly and Senate that this law will mean they no longer must hide who they are, nor be treated as someone other than who they are,” Ammiano said.

One of these students was Ashton Lee, a 16-year-old transgender boy from Manteca who was forced to take physical education with girls.

“I can’t learn and succeed when every day in that class leaves me isolated and alone,” said Lee, in a statement.

However, not everyone is on board with transgender students finally being heard.

“The transgender thing, I think it’s just another politically correct thing that is incorrect,” said Assemblyman Tim Donnelly.

I suppose the best way to deal with an issue is to not acknowledge there’s an issue at all.

Administrative Support Coordinator of Sacramento State Pride Center Chris Kent believes AB1266 is a step in the right direction.

“Transgender individuals face a lot of marginalization in many areas of life, including education,” says Kent. “Taking any steps toward making the experiences of transgender students better, decreasing the level of marginalization they face, and increasing their chances at academic success, is a great thing.”

Donnelly believes the bill was made to simply placate a small amount of students.

“Why should we make 98 percent of the kids uncomfortable and how does that serve the less than 2 percent [transgendered] that feel that way?” Donnelly said.

The law doesn’t exist to simply serve the most people. Anyone that has taken a high school government course knows that America prides itself on the rights of the individual.

“In other words, they’re saying the law infringes on the ‘right’  of [non-transgender] people to exclude or marginalize transgender people,” Kent said. “They have no ‘right’ to exclude or marginalize non-dominant groups,” Kent said.

It’s not even fair to say that the law will frighten every non-transgender student out of school bathrooms.

“It’s one of those things where I never really thought that it would require paperwork. Ridiculous that it does, but since that’s where we’re at, I’m glad it’s in writing,” said English major Alexa Derminjian. “Transgender folks should have the right to take a leak wherever they want. Anybody bothered by that is thinking too hard about the people they’re pissing next to.”

However, Donnelly is staunchly against pulling one of his two sons from public schools because of AB1266. The esteemed Assemblyman also believes that public schools are no longer what they used to be, and are now “government indoctrination centers.”

Parents pulling their children out of public schools isn’t a new form of protest. One of the junctures in American history: parents wary of social change engaged in not-so-civil disobedience happened around the time of the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling in 1954.

I don’t think teaching students tolerance for different perspectives or sexes counts as “indoctrination.” Despite the passing of AB1266, I don’t believe it will solve all problems facing transgender students either, but it’s a good start.