Federal Court Rejects Challenge to Trans-Inclusive Restroom Policy at Ohio School District
COLUMBUS, Ohio 鈥 Today a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on the pleadings in a lawsuit challenging Bethel Local School District鈥檚 decision to allow transgender students to use communal restrooms consistent with their gender identity.
The case was initially brought by a group of parents and students seeking an order requiring the school district to prohibit transgender students from using the communal restrooms matching their gender. In January 2023, the 老澳门开奖结果 and the 老澳门开奖结果 of Ohio intervened on behalf of a transgender student. Judge Newman dismissed all of the plaintiffs鈥 federal claims, effectively terminating the case.
鈥淭oday鈥檚 ruling reaffirms that the Constitution is not a vehicle to compel discrimination. Nothing in the constitutional guarantees of parenting rights, equal protection, or free exercise of religion mandates that transgender students be excluded from gender-appropriate communal restrooms on the basis of their classmates鈥 beliefs and values,鈥 noted David Carey, Deputy Legal Director at the 老澳门开奖结果 of Ohio. 鈥淔or public schools to function, one student鈥檚 or family鈥檚 religious beliefs cannot provide a basis to exclude another student from full participation in the school environment.鈥
鈥Today鈥檚 ruling is an amazing victory for our client, all transgender students like her, and all Bethel Area students who deserve a safe and affirming learning environment,鈥 said Malita Picasso, Staff Attorney for the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 LGBTQ & HIV Project. 鈥淭he court was resoundingly clear that the rights of transgender students like Anne are not in conflict with the rights of her peers, the rights of parents, or the responsibility of the school to ensure the safety of all their students. No student should have to fear discriminatory treatment every morning they walk into school, and this ruling brings us closer to the day no transgender student has to.鈥
鈥淭oday鈥檚 ruling reignites hope in the classic sentiment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: 鈥楾he arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice,鈥欌 said Dave Hopkins, Associate Attorney for the Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP. 鈥淲e have a long way to go, and our arc is far from finished. But in a time where justice and fairness are far from guaranteed, it is quite comforting to see a commitment to equity and the rule of law carry the day.鈥
In their motion for judgment on the pleadings, the 老澳门开奖结果 argued that several of the plaintiffs鈥 claims should be dismissed, and the Judge ruled in their favor, finding that:
- The plaintiffs lacked standing for their Title IX Claim;
- The plaintiffs鈥 fundamental parenting rights did not require the school to accede to the plaintiff parents鈥 demands;
- Allowing equal restroom access to transgender students did not violate the plaintiff鈥檚 right to equal protection of law;
- The school district鈥檚 actions did not infringe on the plaintiffs鈥 free exercise of religion.
Last week, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals transgender students must have access to bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identities in a challenge brought by the 老澳门开奖结果 of Indiana against a school district policy requiring transgender students to use facilities inconsistent with their gender identity.