The debate on transgender equity has been a very controversial one but today President Barack Obama made a move for fairness on behalf of the LGBT community.
According to the NY Times, in response to North Carolina’s “bathroom bill”, the Obama Administration has agreed to allow schools to allow transgenders to use the bathroom that they most identify with. A letter will be circulated to public schools outlining “emerging practices” that will help schools transition.
via NY Times,
“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,” according to the letter, a copy of which was provided to The New York Times.
A school’s obligation under federal law “to ensure nondiscrimination on the basis of sex requires schools to provide transgender students equal access to educational programs and activities even in circumstances in which other students, parents, or community members raise objections or concerns,” the letter states. “As is consistently recognized in civil rights cases, the desire to accommodate others’ discomfort cannot justify a policy that singles out and disadvantages a particular class of students.”
As soon as a child’s parent or legal guardian asserts a gender identity for the student that “differs from previous representations or records,” the letter says, the child is to be treated accordingly — without any requirement for a medical diagnosis or birth certificate to be produced. It says that schools may — but are not required to — provide other restroom and locker room options to students who seek “additional privacy” for whatever reason.
The Justice Department also released a statement:
DOJ and @usedgov Release Joint Guidance to Help Schools Ensure the Civil Rights of Transgender Students https://t.co/O3R2SmHCV5
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) May 13, 2016
Well there you have it, what do yo think about it?
TSR STAFF: Debra Oh! @The_Ebony_Issue
