If you’re a dude in northern Virginia, there’s a good chance you’re a chick. And if you’re a lady in the area, you’re very possibly a gentleman.
Such is the message gleaned from four school systems’ support of a transgender teen’s lawsuit.
In 2015, female student Gavin Grimm sued the Gloucester County school board because they wouldn’t let her go into the boys’ bathroom.
I think I need to write that again, just for myself.
In 2015, female student Gavin Grimm sued the Gloucester County school board because they wouldn’t let her go into the boys’ bathroom.
Okay, moving forward:
In her suit, the girl claimed that the school system’s policy violated Title IX and the equal protection clause of the Constitution.
It should be noted that the Obama White House had ruled that the ban on sex discrimination also applied to gender identity.
As pointed out by The Daily Wire, in May of 2016, the administration threatened schools thusly:
A school may provide separate facilities on the basis of sex, but must allow transgender students access to such facilities consistent with their gender identity. A school may not require transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity or to use individual-user facilities when other students are not required to do so … As a condition of receiving Federal funds, a school agrees that it will not exclude, separate, deny benefits to, or otherwise treat differently on the basis of sex any person in its educational programs or activities unless expressly authorized to do so under Title IX or its implementing regulations.
So guys: Follow that hot girl into the locker room. No problemo. Just identify as a lesbian, and you’re still hot on her trail. Or maybe you’re her totally straight female pal who believes nudity between friends ain’t no thang.
BUT:
In August of ’16, the Supreme Court blocked a court order permitting Gavin to plunder the Men’s room. That block was only temporary, but a federal district court swooped in and ruled that Obama had issued “directives which contradict the existing legislative and regulatory text.”
In February of 2017, Justice and Education departments under Trump nullified Obama’s “Be My Guest” locker room/bathroom policy. The declaration said, essentially, the Obama thing was dumb and had led to big-time lawsuits.
Fast-forward to now and Gavin and northern Virginia. Four school districts — Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, and Arlington — are supporting her lawsuit.
The coterie filed a friend-of-the-court brief:
Male students, teachers, and parents have not used the policy as a ruse to improperly access female restrooms. Sex offenders have not exploited the policy to prey on children. Transgender students have not suffered greater stigma or trauma. Those fears have proved entirely unfounded.
Since when does “nobody’s done that yet” determine what anybody’s allowed to do?
Perhaps most importantly, according to the statement, VA schools are up to their ears in girls saying they’re boys and boys saying they’re girls:
“Thousands of students in Virginia public schools who…identify as transgender.”
So what’s the hubbub, bub?
Personally, I believe everyone should present themself the way they wish.
As for another belief, I have a word for what comes with an end to separating bathrooms according to sex: PROBLEMS. Subsumed by that word: Humiliation, Invasion of Privacy, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault, to name a few.
But, in this case, four school systems in George Washington’s home state have a different word for it: PROGRESS.
-Alex
See 3 more pieces from me:
Lesbian Couple Identifying As Straight Couple Prepares To Transition 5-Yr-Old Son Into A Daughter
Huh? Man Who Claims To Be A Woman: ‘Having A Vagina Does Not Make Me A Woman’
Find all my RedState work here.
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