Federal appeals court sides with transgender teen, says bathroom case can go forwardBy Moriah Balingit April 19
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/federal-appeals-court-sides-with-trangender-teen-says-bathroom-case-can-go-forward/2016/04/19/6a873b88-f76b-11e5-9804-537defcc3cf6_story.htmlA federal appeals court in Richmond has ruled that a transgender high school student who was born as a female can sue his school board for discrimination because it banned him from the boys' bathroom.
In backing high school junior Gavin Grimm, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit deferred to the U.S. Education Department's position that transgender students should have access to the bathrooms that match their gender identities rather than being forced to use bathrooms that match their biological sex. The department has said that requiring transgender students to use a bathroom that corresponds with their biological sex amounts to a violation of Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination at schools that receive federal funding.
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This is HUGE. Basically the court of appeals agreees with the U.S. Education Departments interpretation of title IX, that trans students have the right to use restrooms corresponding to their gender identity. This applies in the middle Atlantic states to which this court has jurisdiction, but it is sure to be used as a precedent for other courts.
The only wrinkle is that they refused to refer it to a different judge from the one who heard the case before, who insisted there was no such thing as gender at odds with sex and that being transgender was a mental disorder. If there is some way to twist this ruling so that it does not favor trans students, he will.
