Story highlights North Carolina is suing the U.S. Justice Department over its so-called bathroom bill

Transgender people are people first, worthy of dignity and respect, writers say

Jack Markell is governor of Delaware. Randi Weingarten is president of the American Federation of Teachers. The views expressed are their own.

(CNN) The story of America, at its best, is one of an ever-widening circle of inclusion, with each generation showing a greater openness to communities once excluded. But recent efforts to marginalize certain people and groups, specifically transgender and gender-nonconforming people, are an affront to America's inclusiveness.

On Monday, the state of North Carolina sued the federal government over the Justice Department's ruling that a state law blocking legal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, particularly bathroom access for transgender individuals, violates civil rights law.

We both feel compelled to speak out against such intolerance; to call for steps to protect the rights of all people, regardless of their race, religion, or gender identity or expression; and to help everyone feel safe and welcome as they go about their lives, particularly in our public schools.

Gov. Jack Markell

Randi Weingarten

Our experiences have shown us ways to do this -- as a governor who proudly signed into law a bill with protections for transgender people in employment, housing and public accommodations, and as a teacher and union leader advocating for equal protection and safe and welcoming environments for everyone who attends or works in our public schools.

Increasingly, Americans are learning more about transgender people and the issues they face. Unfortunately -- and perhaps as a reaction to growing support for LGBT individuals -- states like North Carolina and Mississippi have chosen to single out their LGBT residents for exclusion and intolerance. And a school board in Florida recently passed what has been called a "gender inspection" policy that prohibits transgender students from using the bathroom that corresponds to their gender identity.

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