WASHINGTON — The Departments of Education and Justice today announced comprehensive guidance that requires schools to treat transgender students in accordance with their gender identity.



James Esseks, director of the ACLU Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender & HIV Project, had this reaction:



"With this guidance, the Education and Justice Departments are making it crystal clear what schools' obligations to transgender students are under federal law. It's about time schools understand that transgender students are fully protected. We owe our country's future leaders the freedom to be themselves during these crucial and formative years."



Gavin Grimm, a teenage transgender student and ACLU client in Virginia who last month won a court ruling guaranteeing the right of students to use restrooms consistent with their gender identity, had this reaction:



“I am so happy that with this new guidance, transgender students across the country have a new tool to ensure they are treated with dignity and respect at school. This guidance would have made a big difference in my life, and I’m happy that kids will be free to use the bathroom that reflects who they are.”



More information on Grimm’s lawsuit is here:

https://www.aclu.org/cases/gg-v-gloucester-county-school-board