Obama Appeals Block On School Transgender Rules
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The Obama administration is pushing back against the efforts to block transgender bathroom rights in schools. This back-and-forth battle has been flush with controversy. Texas is one of 13 states fighting against the new federal guidelines.
President Barack Obama issued a directive for all schools across the country back in May, to immediately permit transgender students to use the bathrooms and locker rooms of their choice. Schools that did not comply with the directive were at risk of losing funding. The move was met with great resistence from political leaders in several states.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton began to lead a 13-state coalition in their efforts against the directive. A Fort Worth judge ruled in the group's favor in August, and even clarified earlier this week that his temporary injunction against the guidelines applies nationwide, not just for the states listed in the lawsuit.
The move was lauded by Republicans who feel that the President is overreaching and undermining school privacy safeguards.
The White House is seeking to reverse that judge's ruling. The Department of Education submitted a one-page filing Thursday with the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. President Obama is hoping to win his new appeal and reinstate the guidelines. They currently sit frozen until the lawsuit can play out.
The courts need to decide if blocking a student's bathroom choice violates federal civil rights. The final decision applies only to public schools. Private schools are able to set their own rules on the matter.