LAUSD Officials Applaud White House Directive On Transgender Bathroom Access
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Los Angeles Unified School District officials threw their support behind an Obama administration directive released Friday that calls on schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their chosen gender identity.
The controversial letter, issued jointly by the U.S. departments of Education and Justice, states that transgender students are protected under Title IX, which prohibits K-12 districts, colleges and universities that receive federal dollars from discriminating against students based on sex.
LAUSD Superintendent Michelle King said she and other district officials "applaud President Obama's guidance that public school districts allow transgender students to attend school in an environment free from discrimination based on sex."
"As the second-largest school district in the country, L.A. Unified has long been a leader in respecting the needs of all students and staff," she said.
According to the guidance letter (PDF) calls for schools to allow students to use restroom facilities and locker rooms based on the gender they identify with, upon being notified of the student's transgender status.
This includes allowing students to take part in sex-segregated activities or use bathrooms and other facilities that match the student's chosen gender identity.
LAUSD Board of Education President Steve Zimmer told KNX 1070 NEWSRADIO that he hopes to begin the next school year with at least one gender-neutral bathroom at every middle and high school and said since most schools have restrooms that can be easily adjusted, the change would not be costly.
"This is not a huge, overwhelming burden or expense, and any expense that we incur is absolutely worth it for the human rights and dignity of our kids," Zimmer said.
In April, students clashed with protesters at LAUSD's Santee Education Complex in South Los Angeles who rallied outside the campus to protest the recent opening of a gender-neutral bathroom on the campus.
The directive was met with opposition from other U.S. states, including Texas, whose lieutenant governor said Friday that the state is prepared to forfeit billions of federal dollars in public school funding over the directive.
It clarifies expectations for districts receiving federal school funds, which Texas' powerful Republican lieutenant governor argues the state's 5.2 million public school students can now do without.
"We will not be blackmailed by the president's 30 pieces of silver," Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said. "The people of Texas and the Legislature will find a way to find as much of that money as we can if we are forced to."
Patrick responded to Friday's directive at the Texas Republican Party Convention, where delegates this week are considering a new state party platform that says "homosexuality must not be accepted as an acceptable alternative lifestyle."
In May, the Department of Justice threatened to file a civil rights lawsuit against the state of North Carolina for creating a law that made the restrooms in government facilities accessible based on the biological sex of an individual.
Here in Los Angeles, the directive was met with enthusiastic response.
CBS2's Joy Benedict spoke to parents who applauded the move.
"I don't think we should discriminate in any way," said Steve Aviles. He has a 13-year-old son in a Burbank school.
He says said being sensitive to the people in the LGBT community is dinner-time conversation.
"He's heard about on the news, we've talked about it. And he thinks kids should be treated fairly."
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