Twelve states have filed an amicus
brief in support of the Obama administration's directive advising
schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom of their
choice.
A coalition of 11 states led by Texas
filed a lawsuit in May challenging the guidance. In June, the states
asked the court to block the regulations, arguing that it would
jeopardize safety. A second group of 10 states, led by Nebraska,
have filed a similar lawsuit.
The 12 states defending the guidance
are led by Washington and most have laws banning discrimination on
the basis of gender identity.
They argue in their brief that
protecting transgender people “creates no public safety threat and
imposes no meaningful financial burden.”
“[T]heir allegations of safety risks
are unsupported hyperbole, their claimed loss of federal funding is
distant and avoidable, and their claims of massive renovation costs
lack support in the law and the record,” the
brief states.
The coalition of states making the
assertions include Washington State, California, Connecticut,
Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New
Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington, D.C.