Primary Document: “Trump Administration Lifts Transgender Bathroom Guidance”
UPDATE Feb 24, 2017 : ALA Strongly Protests Rollback of Protections For Our Nation’s Transgender Students
Today American Library Association President Julie Todaro released the following statement strongly protesting the rollback of protections for transgender students in our nation’s public schools.
“The Trump administration’s decision to revoke important protections for transgender students couldn’t conflict more with the library community’s fundamental values and the principles upon which libraries are founded. Transgender students deserve the right to use restroom facilities that are aligned with their gender identity. On average students spend 6-7 hours per day at school, and every student deserves to learn in an environment free from discrimination. We believe this federal policy must be reinstated because it ensures that all students are treated fairly nationwide.
“ALA, its members, all librarians and library professionals are committed to diversity, inclusiveness, and mutual respect for all human beings, and we will work tirelessly to ensure full representation of all members of society.
“ALA provides gender neutral restrooms at our conferences, and we will not hold our large and economically impactful meetings in states where ‘bathroom bills’ have been passed. Our Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) division canceled one such program in North Carolina last year.
“We stand with our transgender members, colleagues, families and friends, and we fully support the work of our Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT), whose members continue to lead the fight to abolish intolerance for all of society.
“ALA will work closely with all of its partners for reinstatement of these protections as soon as possible.”
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Coverage via AP:
The Trump administration has lifted federal guidelines that said transgender students should be allowed to use public school bathrooms and locker rooms matching their chosen gender identity.
The Wednesday decision is a reversal of an Obama-era directive issued in May. It will now be up to states and school districts to interpret whether federal sex discrimination law applies to gender identity.
Primary Document
- Guidance Document (“Dear Colleague” Letter, U.S. Dept. of Education, Office of Civil Rights and U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Civil Rights (3 pages; Word; via U.S. Dept. of Ed.)
February 22, 2017
Also embedded at bottom of this post.
See Also: Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Dept. of Education
See Also: Guidance on Rights of Transgender Students & Examples of Policies and Emerging Practices for Supporting Transgender Students
Both documents released on May 13, 2016.
See Also: Letter to Emily Prince from James A. Ferg-Cadima, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education dated January 7, 2015.
The letter can be found on Page 121A (p. 173 of PDF) of this Supreme Court petition (via SCOTUS Blog)
Dear Colleague Letter (Transgendered Students, Title IX Guidance) by LJ’s infoDOCKET on Scribd
February 22, 2017
Filed under: Associations and Organizations, Libraries, News
About Gary Price
Gary Price (gprice@gmail.com) is a librarian, writer, consultant, and frequent conference speaker based in the Washington D.C. metro area. He earned his MLIS degree from Wayne State University in Detroit. Price has won several awards including the SLA Innovations in Technology Award and Alumnus of the Year from the Wayne St. University Library and Information Science Program. From 2006-2009 he was Director of Online Information Services at Ask.com.