Virginia school board defends transgender bathroom policy

[Jazzy]

A Virginia school board says its policy prohibiting a transgender student from using the boys' restrooms is not discriminatory and was not enacted to stigmatize or embarrass the teenager.

The Gloucester County School Board defended its policy this week in court papers arguing that a lawsuit filed by 16-year-old Gavin Grimm should be dismissed. A hearing is set for July 20 in U.S. District Court in Newport News on Grimm's motion for a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the policy.

Grimm was born female but identifies and lives as a male. According to his complaint, he has been diagnosed as having gender dysphoria, a medical condition characterized by distress stemming from conflict between a person's general identity and the person's assigned sex at birth. He has not had gender reassignment surgery but has been receiving hormone treatments to give him a more masculine appearance and voice.

In the lawsuit, he claims he used the boys' restrooms at Gloucester High School without incident until the board, responding to complaints from parents, adopted a policy in December stating that "students with gender identity issues" will be provided an alternate, private facility.

"To avoid the stigma of having to use separate restrooms, Gavin has tried to avoid using any restroom during the school day," the lawsuit filed on Grimm's behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union says.

"The School Board has a responsibility to its students to ensure their privacy while engaging in personal bathroom functions," the board's attorney wrote. "This is particularly true in an environment where children are still developing, both emotionally and physically."

The board says it has established three single-stall, unisex restrooms that any student can use.

"Under this policy, Plaintiff is treated the same as his fellow students," the brief says.

The U.S. Justice Department has taken Grimm's side in the dispute. The department filed a statement of interest last week stating that transgender students must be allowed to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity.

Source

In your opinion: Who should win this lawsuit and why?

 

[Jazzy]

A Virginia school board says its policy prohibiting a transgender student from using the boys' restrooms is not discriminatory and was not enacted to stigmatize or embarrass the teenager.

The Gloucester County School Board defended its policy this week in court papers arguing that a lawsuit filed by 16-year-old Gavin Grimm should be dismissed. A hearing is set for July 20 in U.S. District Court in Newport News on Grimm's motion for a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the policy.

Grimm was born female but identifies and lives as a male. According to his complaint, he has been diagnosed as having gender dysphoria, a medical condition characterized by distress stemming from conflict between a person's general identity and the person's assigned sex at birth. He has not had gender reassignment surgery but has been receiving hormone treatments to give him a more masculine appearance and voice.

In the lawsuit, he claims he used the boys' restrooms at Gloucester High School without incident until the board, responding to complaints from parents, adopted a policy in December stating that "students with gender identity issues" will be provided an alternate, private facility.

"To avoid the stigma of having to use separate restrooms, Gavin has tried to avoid using any restroom during the school day," the lawsuit filed on Grimm's behalf by the American Civil Liberties Union says.

"The School Board has a responsibility to its students to ensure their privacy while engaging in personal bathroom functions," the board's attorney wrote. "This is particularly true in an environment where children are still developing, both emotionally and physically."

The board says it has established three single-stall, unisex restrooms that any student can use.

"Under this policy, Plaintiff is treated the same as his fellow students," the brief says.

The U.S. Justice Department has taken Grimm's side in the dispute. The department filed a statement of interest last week stating that transgender students must be allowed to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity.

Source

In your opinion: Who should win this lawsuit and why?

 

[Smiley]

You know, all this transgender stuff and who should use which toilet was kinda amusing to me at first, but now...

Spoiler

Might I suggest handing out shovels and directing everyone to dig their own holes in the ground to take a dump at? Actually, no, that might lead to another rebellion over which color the shovels should be, to avoid accidentally discriminating against someone based on their (trans)gender.

 

[Jazzy]

Time for another regulation. Now there needs to be four bathrooms in each facility. Men, women, men who think they are women and women who think they are men. This is getting out of hand and the playing to drum of the LGBT community needs to really slow down and see what problems they are creating for other people. They want to be respected and that is fine. But they need to start respecting the straight community.

The school has done more than enough to accommodate this student by providing them with an alternate bathroom to use. The school has to consider the needs of all their students. I sincerely hope the court rules that a reasonable accommodation has been made. If not, they will end up having to have a huge part of the school dedicated to unisex, single serve restrooms since many students and student parents will not be happy with restroom sharing between the actual physical sexes.

 

[WHO IS SERAFIN]

Parents need to all stand up and fight this very dangerous insanity for the children's safety.