Indiana Governor Mike Pence on
Wednesday suggested that a Donald Trump administration would reverse
federal protections for transgender students.
The Obama administration in May
directed public school districts to allow transgender students to use
the bathrooms that match their gender identity. The guidance does
not have the force of law but districts that do not comply risk
lawsuits or possibly the loss of federal aid.
During the GOP primary, Trump stated
that states should decide whether transgender students can use the
bathroom of their choice.
“I think this should be a states'
issue,” Trump said when asked on Fox News' Fox & Friends
about the guidance.
Trump told The Washington Post
at the time that he would rescind the guidance.
Pence accused the administration of
overreaching during an appearance on Family Talk, a radio show hosted
by James Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family, and affirmed
Trump's position on the issue.
“[T]here's no area of our lives too
small for [the Obama administration] to want to regulate,” he said.
“No aspect of our Constitution too large for them to be willing to
ignore.”
“Donald Trump and I simply believe
that all of these issues are best resolved at the state level by the
people of communities, by the standards they want to set,” Pence
said.