The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday
announced that it would hear a case involving a transgender teen's
fight to use the bathroom of his choice.
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals
agreed with lawyers representing Gavin Grimm, a senior at Gloucester
High School in Virginia, who argued that the school district's policy
that prohibits transgender students such as Grimm from using the
bathroom of their choice violates federal civil rights laws. Grimm
came out in his sophomore year.
(Related: Gavin
Grimm, transgender teen at center of bathroom debate: I'm not
dangerous.)
In August, the Supreme Court put the
decision on hold as the school board appeals the case.
Grimm's case is moving forward as the
federal government advises school districts to allow transgender
students to use the bathroom of their choice. But lawsuits filed by
several states have blocked that policy.
North Carolina in March became the
first U.S. state to expressly prohibit transgender people from using
the public bathroom consistent with their gender identity. Passage
of House Bill 2 has provoked a backlash from activists, the business
community and the entertainment industry.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear
arguments in Grimm's case sometime in early 2017.