SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Students, parents, and advocates for LGTBQ rights gather in Washington, D.C. to protest the Trump administration's attacks on transgender people. (Photo: Ted Eytan/Flickr/cc)
'Enormous Victory for Transgender Students' as SCOTUS Declines to Hear Challenge to Inclusive Bathroom Policy
"This move means school districts can continue to allow trans students to participate in school activities, and use restrooms and locker rooms, that match their gender."
May 28, 2019
LGBTQ individuals and rights groups celebrated Tuesday as the U.S. Supreme Court left in place a lower court ruling in favor of a Pennsylvania school district's policy to allow trans students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.
"This is an enormous victory for transgender students across the country," Ria Tabacco Mar, senior staff attorney with the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, said in a statement. The ACLU, in cooperation with the law firm Cozen O'Connor, represented the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, a coalition of LGBTQ youth leaders and groups, in the legal battle.
In 2016, the Boyertown Area School District, located about 45 northeast of Philadelphia, began allowing transgender students to use facilities of their choosing--along with allowing all students access to private facilities. The following year, students backed by the conservative Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom challenged the policy, claiming it violated their right to privacy.
"This lawsuit sought to reverse that hard-won progress by excluding transgender students from school facilities that other students use," said Tabacco Mar. "That would have increased the stigma and discrimination that transgender students already face."
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the lawsuit's claims and upheld the school's policy last year, following a similar ruling from a federal district court in Easton, Pennsylvania. The Supreme Court's decision Tuesday to not hear the case means the appeals court's ruling remains in effect, with broader implications for schools nationwide.
As the ACLU explained in a pair of tweets, "This move means school districts can continue to allow trans students to participate in school activities, and use restrooms and locker rooms, that match their gender."
"I was the first openly transgender student at my school and the first to publicly transition," Aidan DeStefano, a recent graduate of Boyertown High, wrote for the ACLU's blog last year.
During 11th grade, DeStefano's school counselor told him that he could use the boys' facilities, which he did during his final year at the school.
"By the time I graduated high school, I was using the boys' bathroom and participating on the boys' cross-country team. I felt like I belonged and had the confidence I needed to continue with my education," DeStefano said in a statement Tuesday. "I'm glad the Supreme Court is allowing schools like mine to continue supporting transgender students."
The news was also welcomed on Twitter by advocates for LGBTQ rights:
This victory for the LGBTQ community comes amid a wave of recent attacks from the Trump administration--which include enabling healthcare providers and taxpayer-funded homeless shelters to turn away transgender individuals and purging transgender servicemembers from the military.
"Thankfully, today's announcement allows schools to move forward with policies that support transgender students. But our work is far from over," said Tabacco Mar of the ACLU. "We will continue to defend the transgender community from attacks in the courts, the legislatures, and the White House."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
LGBTQ individuals and rights groups celebrated Tuesday as the U.S. Supreme Court left in place a lower court ruling in favor of a Pennsylvania school district's policy to allow trans students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.
"This is an enormous victory for transgender students across the country," Ria Tabacco Mar, senior staff attorney with the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, said in a statement. The ACLU, in cooperation with the law firm Cozen O'Connor, represented the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, a coalition of LGBTQ youth leaders and groups, in the legal battle.
In 2016, the Boyertown Area School District, located about 45 northeast of Philadelphia, began allowing transgender students to use facilities of their choosing--along with allowing all students access to private facilities. The following year, students backed by the conservative Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom challenged the policy, claiming it violated their right to privacy.
"This lawsuit sought to reverse that hard-won progress by excluding transgender students from school facilities that other students use," said Tabacco Mar. "That would have increased the stigma and discrimination that transgender students already face."
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the lawsuit's claims and upheld the school's policy last year, following a similar ruling from a federal district court in Easton, Pennsylvania. The Supreme Court's decision Tuesday to not hear the case means the appeals court's ruling remains in effect, with broader implications for schools nationwide.
As the ACLU explained in a pair of tweets, "This move means school districts can continue to allow trans students to participate in school activities, and use restrooms and locker rooms, that match their gender."
"I was the first openly transgender student at my school and the first to publicly transition," Aidan DeStefano, a recent graduate of Boyertown High, wrote for the ACLU's blog last year.
During 11th grade, DeStefano's school counselor told him that he could use the boys' facilities, which he did during his final year at the school.
"By the time I graduated high school, I was using the boys' bathroom and participating on the boys' cross-country team. I felt like I belonged and had the confidence I needed to continue with my education," DeStefano said in a statement Tuesday. "I'm glad the Supreme Court is allowing schools like mine to continue supporting transgender students."
The news was also welcomed on Twitter by advocates for LGBTQ rights:
This victory for the LGBTQ community comes amid a wave of recent attacks from the Trump administration--which include enabling healthcare providers and taxpayer-funded homeless shelters to turn away transgender individuals and purging transgender servicemembers from the military.
"Thankfully, today's announcement allows schools to move forward with policies that support transgender students. But our work is far from over," said Tabacco Mar of the ACLU. "We will continue to defend the transgender community from attacks in the courts, the legislatures, and the White House."
LGBTQ individuals and rights groups celebrated Tuesday as the U.S. Supreme Court left in place a lower court ruling in favor of a Pennsylvania school district's policy to allow trans students to use bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.
"This is an enormous victory for transgender students across the country," Ria Tabacco Mar, senior staff attorney with the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project, said in a statement. The ACLU, in cooperation with the law firm Cozen O'Connor, represented the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, a coalition of LGBTQ youth leaders and groups, in the legal battle.
In 2016, the Boyertown Area School District, located about 45 northeast of Philadelphia, began allowing transgender students to use facilities of their choosing--along with allowing all students access to private facilities. The following year, students backed by the conservative Christian law firm Alliance Defending Freedom challenged the policy, claiming it violated their right to privacy.
"This lawsuit sought to reverse that hard-won progress by excluding transgender students from school facilities that other students use," said Tabacco Mar. "That would have increased the stigma and discrimination that transgender students already face."
The Third Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the lawsuit's claims and upheld the school's policy last year, following a similar ruling from a federal district court in Easton, Pennsylvania. The Supreme Court's decision Tuesday to not hear the case means the appeals court's ruling remains in effect, with broader implications for schools nationwide.
As the ACLU explained in a pair of tweets, "This move means school districts can continue to allow trans students to participate in school activities, and use restrooms and locker rooms, that match their gender."
"I was the first openly transgender student at my school and the first to publicly transition," Aidan DeStefano, a recent graduate of Boyertown High, wrote for the ACLU's blog last year.
During 11th grade, DeStefano's school counselor told him that he could use the boys' facilities, which he did during his final year at the school.
"By the time I graduated high school, I was using the boys' bathroom and participating on the boys' cross-country team. I felt like I belonged and had the confidence I needed to continue with my education," DeStefano said in a statement Tuesday. "I'm glad the Supreme Court is allowing schools like mine to continue supporting transgender students."
The news was also welcomed on Twitter by advocates for LGBTQ rights:
This victory for the LGBTQ community comes amid a wave of recent attacks from the Trump administration--which include enabling healthcare providers and taxpayer-funded homeless shelters to turn away transgender individuals and purging transgender servicemembers from the military.
"Thankfully, today's announcement allows schools to move forward with policies that support transgender students. But our work is far from over," said Tabacco Mar of the ACLU. "We will continue to defend the transgender community from attacks in the courts, the legislatures, and the White House."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy