DOJ Filing Supports Transgender Student’s Right to Appropriate Restroom Facilities in ACLU Case

WASHINGTON – The Department of Justice today filed a statement of interest in federal court explaining that transgender students must be allowed to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity under Title IX of the U.S. Education Amendments of 1972.

The DOJ filed the statement in G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board, a case brought by the American Civil Liberties Union and ACLU of Virginia on behalf of transgender male student Gavin Grimm, a junior at Gloucester High School. The filing states “There is a public interest in ensuring that all students, including transgender students, have the opportunity to learn in an environment free of sex discrimination.”

The following comment can be attributed to Joshua Block, senior staff attorney in the ACLU’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and HIV Project:

The Department of Justice filing makes crystal clear that the Gloucester County School Board’s transgender restroom policy violates Title IX. All students – including transgender students – should be able to use the restroom without being stigmatized and humiliated for being who they are.

The following comment can be attributed to Rebecca Glenberg, legal director of the ACLU of Virginia:

We are pleased to have the Department of Justice's support in our efforts to protect the rights of students in Gloucester and across the Commonwealth.