Today the Obama administration will issue a sweeping directive to public schools across the US to allow transgender students to access restrooms and locker rooms that are consistent with their gender identities.
In a move that is likely to escalate the contentious national battle over LGBT rights that has erupted in response to North Carolina’s controversial “bathroom bill” and other measures, the Department of Justice and Department of Education’s decree offers guidelines on how to protect transgender students from discrimination and to “identify and address unjust school policies”.
Although the letter is not a direct legal threat and echoes previous comments from the White House, it makes clear that schools have legal obligations to protect transgender students and that they risk federal funding if they do not comply.
(TheGuardian)
