SCOTUS Won’t Hear Case on Trans Students Rights

Damn...

When trump changed the position on Trans students using bathrooms of their gender identities, we hoped that SCOTUS would set it straight.

Well, they didn't. SCOTUS won't hear the case. They vacated an appeal’s court decision in favor of a transgender boy, Gavin Grimm, and sent the case back for further consideration.

Here's more from NYT:

The Supreme Court had agreed to hear the case in October, and it had been scheduled to be argued this month. It would have been the court’s first encounter with transgender rights, and there was a good chance the case would have been one of a fairly sleepy term’s biggest decisions.

The question in the case was whether Mr. Grimm could use the boys’ bathroom in a Virginia high school. There are other cases on transgender rights in the pipeline, including a challenge to a North Carolina law that requires transgender people to use bathrooms in government buildings that correspond with the gender listed on their birth certificates. The law has drawn protests, boycotts and lawsuits.

The Virginia case concerned the Obama administration’s interpretation of a federal regulation under a 1972 law that bans discrimination “on the basis of sex” in schools that receive federal money.

Caitlyn Jenner addresses trump over Trans Students - WATCH

Well @realDonaldTrump, from one Republican to another, this is a disaster. You made a promise to protect the LGBTQ community. Call me. pic.twitter.com/XwYe0LNUOq

— Caitlyn Jenner (@Caitlyn_Jenner) February 24, 2017

They did it! trump's Administration drops Obama's Trans protections for Students

the trump administration sent this guidance letter to schools, saying that they "decided to withdraw and rescind" the trans student protections "in order to further and more completely consider the legal issues involved."

You can read the letter below

BREAKING: DOJ/Education withdraw guidance on transgender students' rights "in order to further and more completely consider" the issues. pic.twitter.com/5nMr6tcAHY

— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) February 23, 2017

trump Administration in Odds over Transgender Students’ Rights

This mess...

So trump's administration is planning to rescind protections for trans students. As we heard yesterday, they think it should be up to the states. Well, there was deeper fight about how this would go down. Here's more:

A fight over an order that would rescind protections for transgender students in public schools has erupted inside the Trump administration, pitting Attorney General Jeff Sessions against the secretary of education, Betsy DeVos.

Ms. DeVos initially resisted signing off on the order and told President Trump that she was uncomfortable with it, according to three Republicans with direct knowledge of the internal discussions. The draft order would reverse the directives put in place last year by the Obama administration to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice.

Mr. Sessions, who strongly opposes expanding gay, lesbian and transgender rights, fought Ms. DeVos on the issue and pressed her to relent because he could not go forward without her consent. The order must come from the Justice and Education Departments.

Mr. Trump sided with his attorney general, these Republicans said, telling Ms. DeVos in a meeting in the Oval Office on Tuesday that he wanted her to drop her objections. And Ms. DeVos, faced with the choice of resigning or defying the president, has agreed to go along. The Justice Department declined to comment on Wednesday.

This news quickly hit the streets and now, folks are responding:

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on President Donald Trump, Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ plan to rescind Title IX guidance for transgender students:


“By rescinding these protections, the Trump administration is compromising the safety and security of some of our most vulnerable children. Children, not ideology, should be the priority.

“LGBTQ kids face a disproportionate amount of bullying and violence at school, leading to increased levels of fear, anxiety or worse. Transgender students, like their peers, want to live and learn, laugh and love. They deserve the opportunity to do that without worrying whether the attorney general, secretary of education or president of the United States will protect them.

“Reversing this guidance tells trans kids that it’s OK with the Trump administration and the Department of Education for them to be abused and harassed at school for being trans. We want to be clear to those kids: It is not OK with your teachers or with us at the AFT, and we will continue fighting to protect you.”

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Spicer's comment on Obama-era federal guidance on Trans Students

Here's @PressSec's full comment re: Obama-era federal guidance on transgender students. Adds: "This is a states' rights issue." pic.twitter.com/r2rRb7r6ou

— Tom Namako (@TomNamako) February 21, 2017

Texas AG Ken Paxton addresses lawsuit against the Obama Administration Over Trans Students - VIDEO

73 House Republicans are Demanding Answers on Bathroom Directive

So, some members of the GOP thought it would be cute to send our president a letter about the bathroom directive.

You see, when you've lost other battles involving LGBTQ matters, I guess you keep the ball rolling. Anywho, the author of the letter comes from Rep. Mark Walker.

It's addressed to Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Education Secretary John King, and they demand to know why they're making everybody feel unsafe and discomfortable. Here's some of the demands from the letter:

• List all actions that the ED and DOJ, jointly or separately, will take against or regarding a school, school district, or state in which a teacher, school administrator, educator,school contractor, or person volunteering at a school does not comply with this guidance;
• Detail all actions that a school, teacher, school contractor, and person volunteering must take to be in compliance with this guidance;
• Confirm whether ED and DOJ consider this guidance to be legally binding and whether ED and DOJ will report this guidance to Congress;
• Delineate the statutory authority under which ED and DOJ issued this guidance;
• Explain why schools must disregard the privacy, “discomfort,” and emotional strain imposed on other students during use of bathroom, showering, and changing facilities and overnight accommodations as these schools comply with this guidance; and
• Explain to what extent teachers, guidance counselors, school administrators, and parents and guardians of students were consulted regarding the implementation and effect of this
• guidance.

They want a reply by May 30, 2016.

President Obama on Trans Students

President Obama spoke to Buzzfeed about why his administration is suing North Carolina's foolish bathroom bill.

Obama kept it simple by speaking about the students

“We’re talking about kids. Anybody who has been in school, in high school, who has been a parent should realize that kids who are sometimes in the minority, kids who have a different sexual orientation or are transgender are subject to a lot of bullying, potentially. They’re vulnerable.”

And he's right, they are vulnerable and sadly, powerless. I hope the steps they are taking helps trans kids have a normal teen life. This bathroom craps is pointless and messy. We need to just get over it.

US Dept. of Education Announces Title IX Protects Transgender Students

The National Center for Transgender Equality reports that U.S. Department of Education's Title IX law prohibits discrimination against transgender students. This is a huge move for safety of our Trans students in college.

Here's more from the NCTE press release:

"This announcement is a breakthrough for transgender students, who too often face hostility at school and refusal by school officials to accept them for who they truly are," said NCTE Director of Policy Harper Jean Tobin. "It is now clearer than ever that schools nationwide are responsible for ensuring that transgender students are respected and safe, and students can seek protection from the Department of Education and the courts if schools fail to do so."

Recent research indicates that 80% of transgender students feel unsafe at school because of who they are [GLSEN 2012]. While the guidance does not address specific forms of discrimination against transgender students, recent actions by the Departments of Justice and Education make clear that schools must provide equal access to all school facilities and programs consistent with a student's gender identity. A 2013 federal settlement with the Arcadia, California school district, on behalf of a transgender boy excluded from school restrooms and field trip accommodations, requires school officials to treat the student as male for all purposes. Earlier this month, the Department of Justice issued guidance stating the nondiscrimination based on gender identity requires domestic violence shelters and other grantees under the Violence Against Women ACT (VAWA) to provide equal access consistent with a person's gender identity.

This historic statement on gender identity is embedded in a larger guidance document on the responsibilities of schools to prevent and respond to sexual violence against any student-part of a package of guidance and resources announced by the Obama Administration today to address this widespread problem. Also being launched is a new website, NotAlone.gov, collecting resources for students and schools and reporting settlements with schools related to sexual violence on campus. NCTE applauds the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault and the federal agencies involved in this effort.

"Sexual violence in schools is shockingly common in the U.S. and needs to stop," said NCTE Executive Director Mara Keisling. "That the Federal Government is addressing sexual violence is so important. And it is also important, and honestly a relief, that the Department of Education is clarifying Title IX in a way that will make schools safer for transgender students."

While the Department of Education took the opportunity of issuing the sexual violence guidance to also clarify that transgender students are protected under Title IX, this protection is not limited to the context of physical or sexual violence and extends to all forms of discrimination in education. NCTE has long pressed for this guidance along with other LGBT advocates, and now urges the Department of Education to issue further detailed guidance on the rights of transgender students.

Cassidy Campbell receives Hateful Messages over her Homecoming Queen Title

Silly haters came for Cassidy Campbell, the 1st Transgender Teen Homecoming Queen. They left horrible messages and comments for her, and eventually, it got her down.

WATCH



Keep your up head up, Cassidy.

Remember, you made history and they didn't do sh*t!

Governor Jerry Brown signs in California's Assembly Bill 1266 for Transgender Students

California Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill that allows transgender students to use whatever bathroom they want and participate on any sports team they want as well.

This bill is called the California's Assembly Bill 1266. It gives students in the CA public K-12 school system the right "to participate in sex-segregated programs, activities and facilities" based on their self-perception and regardless of their birth gender. This is amazing and moving things in the right direction.

Trans kids need a chance to develop and make their own way in the world. I hope this bill helps out in this process.

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