Gavin Grimm, the Virginia teen whose case against his school board has made him one of the faces of the fight for transgender equality, spoke Thursday before a congressional forum on civil rights in the era of President Donald Trump.
Tweets about #StandWithGavin #ProtectTransKidsUnder Trump, the Departments of Education and Justice in February dropped a guidance that instructed schools to protect LGBTQ students under Title IX, including by allowing transgender kids use the facilities that corresponded to their gender identity, rather than their biological sex.
Grimm—whose lawsuit against the Gloucester County school board for blocking his use of the boys’ bathroom was punted by the U.S. Supreme Court after Trump’s policy reversal—testified at a hearing convened by Democrats on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, where he slammed the Trump administration’s decision.
“The guidance had a very simple message: treat trans students with dignity and respect them for who they are,” Grimm said Thursday. “Treating trans students with dignity and respect should not be controversial.”
“The decision to withdraw the guidance sent a terrible message to some of the most vulnerable people,” he said. “That President Trump—the leader of our country—and his administration do not care about protecting you from discrimination.”
Grimm testified feeling “so disappointed” by the policy change and said “actions speak far louder than words, and the message sent with this action could not have been more damaging for trans youth.”
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