A judge blocked the University of North Carolina from enforcing the state law that makes people use the bathroom that matches the gender on their birth certificates.
District Judge Thomas Schroeder found that two students and an employee on UNC campuses are allowed to use the restrooms that match their gender identity on Aug. 26, reports CBS News.
The ruling temporarily blocks the university system from following what’s known as the HB2 law, which will be debated in court in November to determine if it adheres to federal law. Judge Schroeder’s final decision on the case won’t come until after HB2’s fate has been decided by higher courts.
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HB2 is a state law that was passed in March to require transgender people to use the bathrooms that match the sex on their birth certificate in schools and many public buildings. The law also excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from statewide antidiscrimination protections.
Supporters of HB2 have said it helps protect privacy and safety by keeping men out of women’s bathrooms. Opponents of the controversial law argue it is discriminatory against transgender people.
Judge Schroeder wrote in his ruling that the three plaintiffs’ argument that HB2 violates Title IX is “likely to succeed.” He also wrote that HB2’s use as a bathroom safety law is redundant with other state statues like peeping and indecent exposure laws.
The three plaintiffs include an employee at UNC’s Chapel Hill campus, a student at UNC’s Greensboro campus and a high school student in the state School of Arts, which is run by the UNC system.
A member of the American Civil Liberties Union says the ruling gives the case against HB2 law momentum, although Judge Schroeder wrote that his decision should cause no hardship to state leaders tasked with defending the law.
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