Transgender man Gavin Grimm, who has spent the last four years engaged in a legal battle for his school board to recognise him as male, as finally won his legal case.
Gavin has been engaged in a battle with the Gloucester School Board in Virginia following its 2014 decision in which board members voted that students must use the bathroom facilities that match the gender assigned to them at birth, thus banning transgender students from using the facilities that match their gender.
Gavin made the choice to take legal action against his school board after they told him that he would be forced to use the female facilities. Despite telling the board that he had previously been the victim of abuse and bullying whenever he used female facilities the board refused to allow him to use male restrooms. They offered him the use of the nurse's office, despite it being too far away from his classes to be a viable option.
Despite graduating in 2017 Gavin refused to let the matter drop and continued his legal action. But now his case has finally come to a close. On 9th August the District Judge Arenda Wright Allen sided with Gavin, ruling that the school district decision violated the U.S. Constitution. Judge Allen issued a court order stating that the school district violated the 14th Amendment and Title IX of education civil rights law by not respecting students gender identities.
The judge also ordered the school district to alter Gavin's transcripts to reflect his male identity, and to pay his court fees.
'There is no question that the board's policy discriminates against transgender students on the basis of their gender non-conformity.' Judge Allen wrote. 'Under the policy, all students except for transgender students may use restrooms corresponding with their gender identity. Transgender students are singles out, subject to discriminatory treatment, and excluded from spaces where similarly situated students are permitted to go. The perpetuation of harm to a child stemming from unconstitutional conduct cannot be allowed to stand.'
Speaking on social media Gavin said, 'It is such a relief to achieve this closure and vindication from the court after four years of fighting not just for myself, but for trans youth across America. I promise to continue to advocate for as long as it takes for everyone to be able to live their authentic lives freely, in public, and without harassment and discrimination.'
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