Supreme Court to Hear Case on Transgender Rights in Schools

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Nov 01, 2016

Supreme Court to Hear Case on Transgender Rights in Schools

In the next year, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear the case involving a transgender student which will likely set a precedent for student privacy and gender identity policies in public schools hereafter.

According to an article on the website of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), the case of Gloucester County School Board v. G.G., is a foundational one.

The legal dispute arose when a student named Gavin Grimm, a 17-year-old biological female who identifies as a male, wanted to be granted access to facilities meant for male students.

The Associated Press sums up the case:

“Grimm, a 17-year-old high school senior, was born female but identifies as male. He was allowed to use the boys' restroom at his high school for several weeks in 2014. But after some parents complained, the school board adopted a policy requiring students to use either the restroom that corresponds with their biological gender or a private, single-stall restroom. Grimm is backed by the Obama administration in his argument that the policy violates Title IX, a federal law that bars sex discrimination in schools.”

The ERLC article warns that this case will likely determine the future rights of students to privacy and that it has the power to establish a precedent of government involvement in defining sexual identity.

“Restrooms, locker rooms, athletics, overnight stays on field trips, the ability of teachers and students to speak freely about their convictions on biological sex being authoritative in determining gender—each of these categories, and more, will be determined by this Supreme Court’s ruling,” writes the article’s author, Andrew T. Walker.

An exact date for the case has not been set, but it is expected to be heard sometime in 2017.

 

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: November 1, 2016



Supreme Court to Hear Case on Transgender Rights in Schools