11 States Sue Government over Transgender Bathroom Directive
All of the states listed as plaintiffs in the lawsuit are led by Republican governors.
Under the directive, schools may offer gender neutral bathrooms but cannot require specific students to use them.
Eleven states filed a lawsuit against the federal government in response to a recent directive that essentially forces schools to allow students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity.
The lawsuit, filed in a Texas District Court, accuses the Obama administration of overreaching and misinterpreting Title IX.
“The letter tries to rewrite Title IX by executive fiat, mandating all bathrooms and showers open to both sexes, while simultaneously permitting different sex athletics subject to limited exceptions. The policy has no basis in law,” the letter states.
RELATED: S. Dakota Gov. Vetoes Transgender Student Bathroom Bill
The Obama administration’s directive was issued in a May 13 Dear Colleague letter. Although schools aren’t required to follow the order, by ignoring it they risk losing the federal funding they rely on to operate.
The complaint was jointly filed by Texas (the lead plaintiff), Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin, reports france24.com. The US government and several federal agency chiefs are the defendants.
The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law issued a statement in response to the lawsuit accusing the plaintiffs of attempting to undermine student dignity.
“The states that have mounted this litigation are standing on the wrong side of history. The arguments proffered by those who stand opposed to the rights of transgender students harken back to a dark era in which ‘separate but equal’ policies were standard operating procedure for school districts.”
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