Two trans students sue Indiana High School

15th November 2021 BWM Staff

Trans students around the United States have had enough!

Students all around America have been standing up to discrimination lately, and we love to see it! The latest students to sue their school district are two trans male students in Indiana at Terre Haute North High School who have filed a lawsuit against the school district after being denied access to restrooms that fit their gender identity. The suit against Vigo County School Corp was filed last Monday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana and Indiana Legal Services.

The suit raised various other issues, including teachers continuing to use feminine pronouns as well as being listed in the yearbook by their birth names because the principal refused to allow them to use their correct names. The suit argues that these incidents are both in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972.

https://twitter.com/ACLUIndiana/status/1457757933887008770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1457757933887008770%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.advocate.com%2Ftransgender%2F2021%2F11%2F10%2Ftrans-high-school-students-sue-school-district-over-restroom-ban

“Denying a student their right to use the correct restroom is discrimination, plain and simple,” said Ken Falk, ACLU of Indiana Legal Director, in a press release. “Schools should be a safe place for kids and the refusal to allow a student to use the correct restroom can be extremely damaging.”

“There are a lot of transgender kids in Indiana,” Falk told local TV station WTHI. “There are a lot of school systems refusing to recognize them as having gender dysphoria. There are a lot of kids who are suffering. I think it’s the hope of these two young men that not only can they get some remedy for themselves but they can help educate schools to do not just the right thing but do what is required by the law.”

“The law gives transgender students the same opportunities as their peers to learn, grow, and succeed at school,” said Kathleen Bensberg, Staff Attorney with the LGBT Project at Indiana Legal Services. “We look forward to working with ACLU to represent these students in this case.”

In addition to the lawsuit, the attorneys for the boys will also seek a preliminary injunction to have the boys be allowed to use the boys’ restrooms.