The American Civil Liberties Union has filed motions to intervene in — and dismiss — a lawsuit that transgender students and LGBTQ supporters say is troubling and harmful.

The lawsuit, filed in November, challenges a decision by the Dallas School District to allow Elliot Yoder to use boys' facilities. Herb Grey, an attorney for the parents of three current or former Dallas students, said the district's policy to allow Yoder into such private spaces violated the civil rights of the majority of the students who do not identify as transgender.

Boys using the locker room and bathroom feel embarrassed and ashamed to have to disrobe in the presence of another student who was biologically female, he said. Grey said he hadn't seen the motions Tuesday morning and declined to comment about them.

The ACLU and its Oregon affiliate filed the legal motions on behalf of Basic Rights Oregon, an LGBTQ advocacy group, Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland. The groups announced the actions in a downtown news conference.

ACLU of Oregon legal director Mat dos Santos referred to the suit as hateful and meritless.

It "targets transgender youth for simply existing and seeking an education," he previously said, and bashes "rescinded Obama-era guidelines detailing the meaning of Title IX's prohibition of sex discrimination," although the Trump administration previously rolled back the Obama-era directive on transgender inclusion.

Despite those changes, the lawsuit names the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

It also names the Oregon Department of Education and Gov. Kate Brown because of guidelines previously issued by the state outlining what districts should do to accommodate transgender students.

The state guidelines aim to create a safe, supportive school setting for transgender students. They outline terminology and recommended nondiscriminatory practices and provide advice about student identities, names and pronouns and, among other things. They also outline issues of restroom and locker room use, sports and physical education and student safety.

Restroom and locker room use is a particularly divisive topic across the country.

Watch more from the ACLU of Oregon below.

LIVE: Basic Rights Oregon ACLU & ACLU of Oregon file motion to intervene in and motion to dismiss cruel lawsuit targeting #transgender youth in Dallas, OR. Posted by ACLU of Oregon on Tuesday, February 20, 2018

— Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

The Associated Press contributed to this report