A federal appeals court on Wednesday
again ruled in favor of a transgender student who was not allowed to
use the bathroom of his choice.
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in
Richmond ruled in favor of Gavin Grimm in 2016.
Grimm, who is represented by the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), filed his lawsuit in 2015 when
he was a 15 year-old sophomore at Gloucester High School. He is
currently in college.
In its 2-1 decision, the appeals court
said that Grimm's former school district in Virginia, the Gloucester
County School Board, had discriminated against him and that their
policy violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.
In March 2017, the Supreme Court, which
was scheduled to hear Grimm's case, announced it would not consider
the case and sent it back to a lower court. Grimm's case rested
heavily on guidance issued by the Department of Education in 2016,
which stated that transgender students were protected under Title IX.
The Trump administration revoked the Obama-era guidance, saying that
the issue was better left up to the states. The reversal prompted the
high court to act.
U.S. District Court Judge Arenda L.
Wright of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of
Virginia ruled in favor of Grimm last August. The school district
appealed her ruling to the appellate court.
“All transgender students should have
what I was denied: The opportunity to be seen for who we are by our
schools and our government,” said Grimm in an ACLU press release.
“Today’s decision is an incredible affirmation for not just me,
but for trans youth around the country.”