Transgender rights have been a hot topic in the media outlets recently, and to no surprise either. Virginia in particular seems to be a state that loves to make transgender individuals’ lives hard.
Take Georgia Carter, for example. Carter interviewed with a KFC in Virginia and was hired on the spot. However, not only an hour later Carter was called and fired by the restaurant manager because she was transgender. Shortly after Carter’s unfortunate experience, Gov. Pat McCrory of North Carolina passed a law that “prohibits transgender individuals from using public restrooms that match their gender identity,” among other ridiculous demands, making life harder for transgender people in North Carolina, as well.
Immediately after the anti-LGBT law was made official, Andrew Cuomo, governor of New York, signed an executive order that blocked all “non-essential state-funded travel to North Carolina.” You go, Cuomo.
Following in McCrory’s footsteps, Lee Bright, a senator from South Carolina, announced a bill that resembled North Carolina’s new law.
“I’ve about had enough of this. I mean, years ago we kept talking about tolerance…And now they want men who claim to be women to be able to go into bathrooms with children. And you got corporations who say this is OK,” Bright complained.
On Tuesday, another transgender rights issue entered the courtroom, and triumphantly won.
Gavin Grimm, a transgender high school student who has born female but identifies as being male, was banned from using the boys’ restrooms after his school’s local school board approved a policy that violated Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972, which states that:
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
In the end, the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with Grimm and said that the lower court should have respected the student’s interpretation of the ruling.
“Today’s Fourth Circuit decision is a vindication for Gavin and a reinforcement of the Department of Education’s policy.” Joshua Block, an attorney at the ACLU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Project, said in a statement. “With this decision, we hope that schools and legislators will finally get the message that excluding transgender kids from the restrooms is unlawful sex discrimination.”
Grimm’s victory is one of few when compared to all the forces acting against LGBT equality. However, one win the courtroom translates into many for students dealing with similar discrimination. Grimm’s experience shows that justice is on our side. Whether or not people are going to jump on the band wagon or drag out this progression towards equality for all individuals is up to them.
Featured image via Flickr by Penn State Law under a Creative Commons 2.0 generic license.
