Which Bathroom Should Transgender Student Use

Which bathroom should a transgender student use in school seems to be a big question still even after the guidelines of Obama administration was hailed as a civil rights victory.

The Trump administration has signaled coming up with a new policy on transgender rights and probably may revoke the signature initiative of predecessor.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the new president believes the states need to decide on the matter as this is their rights issue and not something the federal government should take care.

The Obama government considered it to be a federal issue and the Departments of Education and Justice then said the issue is covered under Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex.

He added the Justice and Education departments would come up with more guidance soon.

Meanwhile, March 28 will be crucial as it will be the day of hearing in court for a transgender teenage student Gavin Grimm, who had sued the school for not allowing boy’s bathroom. It is expected the court may consider the guidance of Obama administration.

A lower court has ruled against the school board.

However, executive director of the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, Eliza Byard, has a different view saying no one born in America should enjoy rights subject to the zip code and so the well-being, the health as well as the safety of transgender youths should not be the issue of states’ rights.

The new guidance would however not to effect the public school students as of now, but it would be impact directly to the government funded schools.

The bathrooms issue has taken a central point of debate in recent years across the nation in terms of rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Opponents say student privacy as well as traditional values will be violated if permitted to use bathroom not based on their sex while transgender advocates say allowing the preferred restroom is essential for the health and psychological well-being.

Meanwhile, Vanita Gupta, who worked as the head of civil rights for the Justice Department in the Obama administration and had issued the original guidance, said the Donald Trump administration cannot strip away transgender students’ rights by retracting the guidance.

Last week hundreds of parents of transgender students is learned to have written to Trump to keep the guidance to help the children not to be discriminated.