On August 26, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled decisively that it is unconstitutional for schools to discriminate against transgender students. This is a huge win for the queer community all over the country.
The ruling in Gavin Grimm v. Gloucester County School Board finds that transgender students are within their rights to access facilities that correspond with their gender and to have their gender recognized in official documents.
The ruling also finds that anti-trans discrimination is sex discrimination, which aligns with the recent Supreme Court ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County.
PFLAG National, the first and largest organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people, their parents and families, and allies, are using this opportunity to celebrate the court ruling. PFLAG is committed to creating a world where diversity is celebrated and all people are respected, valued, and affirmed.
“Hundreds of thousands of PFLAG families across the country celebrate Gavin Grimm’s win in court. Together with his legal team at the ACLU, he demonstrated that a transgender person is a person, that their gender is real, and that anti-trans discrimination unconstitutionally prevents a transgender student from participating fully in their education,” says Brian K. Bond, executive director of PFLAG National.
He continues, “Members of PFLAG MetroDC and PFLAG chapters throughout Virginia have testified, rallied, and met with school leaders in support of transgender students like Gavin. In Virginia and across the country, PFLAGers celebrate this legal win for transgender students and their families.”
Grimm’s lawsuit dates all the way back to 2015. Grimm sued the Gloucester County School Board after officials at a local public high school refused to allow him to use the boys’ restrooms. Finally, after this historical court ruling, the lives of transgender students all over the country will begin to change for the better.
