Governor of Vermont praises Obama administration for standing up for trans kids
The Governor of Vermont has praised the federal government for a directive saying schools must let trans students use a gender-appropriate bathroom.
Governor Peter Shumlin issued a statement on Friday saying students should never feel discriminate against at school.
Shumlin’s statement said there should be no basis for discrimination against any student.
He said he was pleased the guidance from the Obama administration clarifies the position of federal law, which is in-line with his state’s nondiscrimination legislation.
Vermont outlaws discrimination on the basis of gender identity in any public accommodations.
One school in Chester, Vermont, the Green Mountain Union High School, recently changed its policy to allow trans students to use a gender-appropriate bathroom.
The school had been the subject of a walk-out after trans students said they were barred from using some bathrooms.
A battle is currently being waged over trans bathroom rights, as North Carolina is being sued by the federal government over HB2.
HB2 was passed in response to a local ordinance in Charlotte protecting the rights of trans students who use a gender-appropriate bathroom.
The state law, passed in a special session, bans trans people from using a gender-appropriate bathrooms and rolls back local laws protecting LGBT people.
The Governor of North Carolina Pat McCrory has said HB2 is a “common sense privacy policy”, and also suggested Congress should review the Civil Rights Act following the action against hist state.
McCrory’s administration countersued on Monday, filing a complaint against the federal government.
He said the Justice Department’s lawsuit against the state was a “baseless and blatant overreach.”
The US Justice Department sued the state of North Carolina on Monday, asking a federal court to rule that the law violates the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The Department said the state should stop enforcing HB2.
The Attorney General Loretta Lynch also threatened to withhold federal funding to the University of North Carolina system, which could be as much as $4.8 billion.
In response, Governor McCrory filed his own desperate lawsuit against the federal government yesterday.
In it, he named Ms Lynch, the head of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Vanita Gupta and the Justice Department.
“We’re taking the Obama admin to court,” he wrote.
“They’re bypassing Congress, attempting to rewrite law & policies for the whole country, not just NC.
“Our lawsuit seeks to ensure that NC continues to receive federal funding until the courts clarify federal law & resolve this national issue.”
