Appeals Court Again Rules In Favor Of Transgender Student Gavin Grimm

Chicago, IL - A federal appeals court on Wednesday again ruled in favor of a transgender student who was not allowed to use the bathroom of his choice.

The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond ruled in favor of Gavin Grimm in 2016.

Grimm, who is represented by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), filed his lawsuit in 2015 when he was a 15 year-old sophomore at Gloucester High School. He is currently in college.

In its 2-1 decision, the appeals court said that Grimm's former school district in Virginia, the Gloucester County School Board, had discriminated against him and that their policy violated Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

In March 2017, the Supreme Court, which was scheduled to hear Grimm's case, announced it would not consider the case and sent it back to a lower court. Grimm's case rested heavily on guidance issued by the Department of Education in 2016, which stated that transgender students were protected under Title IX. The Trump administration revoked the Obama-era guidance, saying that the issue was better left up to the states. The reversal prompted the high court to act.

U.S. District Court Judge Arenda L. Wright of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia ruled in favor of Grimm last August. The school district appealed her ruling to the appellate court.

"All transgender students should have what I was denied: The opportunity to be seen for who we are by our schools and our government," said Grimm in an ACLU press release. "Today's decision is an incredible affirmation for not just me, but for trans youth around the country."