ACLU Responds to Department of Education Dismissal of Complaints from Transgender Students

WASHINGTON — The Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has reportedly determined it does not have jurisdiction over responding to discrimination on the basis of gender identity. This approach has led the office to dismiss multiple complaints by transgender students.

James Esseks, director of the LGBT & HIV Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following reaction:

“Through their inaction, the Trump administration is attempting to write transgender students out of the protections of Title IX. But the courts have concluded time and again that federal civil rights laws protect trans students from discrimination, including in the context of restroom and locker room use. The Trump administration may abdicate their obligation to trans students and their families, but the ACLU will not. We stand with transgender students, and will continue to fight for their right to an education free from discrimination.”