NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — New York Attorney General Letitia James on Monday announced she is leading another coalition of state attorneys general to fight discrimination against transgender students in schools.
The coalition of 23 attorneys general on Monday filed an amicus brief in the case Adams v. School Board of St. Johns County, in support of a transgender student who was prohibited from using the male restroom at the Florida school he attended.
Drew Adams, who identifies as male, said he was banned from using the proper restroom at Nease High School in Ponte Vede, Florida because of a school board policy in St. Johns County.
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His suit argues that the policy violated his constitutional rights under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, as well as his rights under Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972.
“Transgender students deserve to feel safe and respected at all times, especially at school,” said Attorney General James. “Denying transgender students access to the correct bathroom cultivates a culture of intolerance and is blatant discrimination.”
“This lawsuit is about more than just equal bathroom access — it is about eliminating unfair treatment of non-cisgendered students across the nation,” James added. “Drew Adams should have never been discriminated against and the continued efforts to discriminate against transgender students is exactly why our coalition will do everything in our power to ensure they are provided with equal protection under the law.”
The brief filed by the attorneys general argues that policies that are inclusionary of transgender people lead to “significant individual and societal benefits without jeopardizing student safety or privacy.”
According to James, Adams was discriminated against and forced to use the woman’s restroom while he was a student at the high school despite being recognized as a male on both his birth certificate and driver’s license, undergoing surgery to confirm his body to his gender identify and using the men’s restroom in all other settings.
Joining James in the brief are the attorneys general of California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and the District of Columbia.
This is not the first time that AG James has fought to protect transgender rights. Just last month, she led a coalition of 20 attorneys general in filing another amicus brief in a case seeking to ban transgender students from participating in gender-segregated school sports in Connecticut.
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