Appeals Court rules in favor of transsexual HS bathroom rights

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Transgender high school students must be granted access to bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity, the federal appeals court in Atlanta ruled.

The closely watched case granted a legal victory to Drew Adams, a transgender student who sought access to the boys’ bathroom at Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Fla. The opinion, issued Friday, said the school board’s policy barring Adams from the boys’ bathroom violated his civil rights by discriminating against him because of his sex.

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Local school systems, some of which have been embroiled in controversy because of their transgender bathroom access policies, eagerly awaited the decision. The 2-1 ruling, by a three-judge panel for the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, sets an important precedent for the three states under its jurisdiction: Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

“I am very happy to see justice prevail,” Adams, 19, said in a statement. “High school is hard enough without having your school separate you from your peers and mark you as inferior. I hope this decision helps save other transgender students from having to go through that painful and humiliating experience.”

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