A federal judge in Baltimore has sided
with a transgender teen challenging his school's policy of forcing
him to use a separate locker room.
Max Brennan, a 15-year-old student at
St. Michaels Middle High School, was not allowed to use the boys'
locker room to dress for gym class. Instead, Brennan was forced to
use a separate, gender-neutral restroom, The
Washington Post reported.
U.S. District Judge George L. Russell
III ruled that the school's policy singles out Brennan for
discrimination and “harms his health and well-being.” Russell is
the first judge in Maryland to find that federal law protects
transgender students' right to use the bathroom and locker room of
their choice.
The opinion allows Brennan's lawsuit to
move forward. Because Brennan is not enrolled in gym class for the
current school year, Russell is allowing the case to move forward
without blocking the school's policy.
Brennan is represented by Jennifer
Kent, an attorney with FreeState Justice.
“School systems in Maryland should
know the law and should be protecting students who are transgender
from discrimination, not singling them out for separate and unequal
treatment,” Kent said.