The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors has approved a resolution affirming the county’s commitment to preventing bullying among youth, amid actions at the federal level targeting undocumented immigrants and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Trump’s bullying tactics have swept across our schools, causing immigrant children to fear being deported and LGBTQ+ children to fear having their long-fought for rights to be trampled upon,” said Board President David Canepa in a statement released by his office Monday night.
Canepa sponsored the resolution, which directs each county department and employee to engage in efforts that prevent bullying, provide education and intervene if bullying occurs.
Since President Donald Trump took office in January, some experts say that children from marginalized groups, especially immigrants and LGBTQ+ youth, have felt increased anxiety as anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ+ policies mount at the national level.
In Texas, 11-year-old Jocelynn Rojo Carranza died by suicide last month after apparently facing bullying and taunting about her family’s immigration status, according to the girl’s mother.
The day after Election Day last November, the Trevor Project — a suicide prevention organization that supports LGBTQ+ youth — received 700% more contacts to its mental health crisis hotline compared to weeks prior, according to the group.
While it is too soon to adequately quantify rates of bias-based bullying in schools since Trump’s win, data from around the time of the 2016 election provides some insight into potential changes surrounding bullying rates among children in the current Trump administration.
During Trump’s first presidential term, students in California counties that voted for Trump in higher numbers had slightly higher odds of experiencing bullying based on identity, according to a 2023 study from the National Institute of Health.
It starts from ‘at the top’
A study that surveyed over 150,000 students in Virginia found that bullying among middle schoolers rose to 18% in areas where a higher proportion of the electorate voted for Trump compared to years prior to Trump’s candidacy.
Now the Board is trying to take measures that mitigate the proliferation of bullying in correlation with Trump entering office — dubbed the “Trump Effect.”
“Trump is stirring up conflict that leads to hostility, causing many of our youth to be harassed, bullied and more,” Canepa said. “Our children must know that bad behavior starts from at the top, and in today’s world that means President Donald J. Trump.”
The approval of the resolution coincides with the county reassuring its dedication to promoting LGBTQ+ rights.
On Tuesday, the Board officially recognized March 31 as Transgender Day of Visibility and will be raising the Transgender Flag outside city hall on Wednesday.
“This is the first time in our county that we are raising a flag to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility,” said District 2 Supervisor Noelia Corzo during Tuesday’s meeting. “At a time when we know transgender and gender non-conforming people and their rights are under direct attack from our federal government, we are coming together to say in this county that we value our transgender community.”
County Arborist Natalie Krug, a trans woman, accepted the proclamation. She emphasized the timely significance of the county recognizing Transgender Day of Visibility for the first time.
“Within the past 64 days, the policies, laws and hurtful rhetoric being spewed at the national level come from a place of ignorance and vitriol, not from a place of knowledge, education or understanding,” Krug said. “True visibility can only manifest in the absence of slurs, hate speech and using outlandish caricatures to define a group of people.”
She also noted that amid a rise in negative attention toward marginalized communities, not just the LGBTQ+ community, it is imperative that the county takes steps to foster an accepting environment for all people.
“This fear mongering has not only been directed towards transgender and non-binary people, but also immigrants,” Krug said. “All marginalized communities have experienced the spotlight effect of having our plight showcased to the public.”