A federal judge in Texas on Sunday
temporarily blocked federal guidance on student transgender bathroom
use.
The Obama administration in May advised
school districts to allow students to access bathrooms based on their
gender identity.
Texas and a number of other states
sued, claiming that allowing transgender students to use the bathroom
of their choice would turn schools “into laboratories for a massive
social movement.”
U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor
issued a preliminary injunction, which maintains the “status quo”
nationwide until the lawsuit is settled.
O'Connor said that there was a strong
likelihood that the states will prevail in their lawsuit.
The federal government maintains that
transgender individuals are protected from discrimination under Title
IX. O'Connor disagreed, writing that the term sex in the law refers
to “the biological and anatomical differences between male and
female students as determined at their birth.”
The White House has said that it will
stand by its guidelines, Reuters reported.