Gavin Grimm, the student at the center
of the transgender bathroom debate, says in a The New York Times
op-ed that he does not regret standing up for his rights.
Grimm, 17, filed a lawsuit challenging
his Virginia high school's policy prohibiting him from using the
bathroom of his choice.
The Supreme Court was scheduled to hear
Grimm's case later this month. Actions taken by the Trump
administration resulted in the high court remanding the case back to
a lower court. Grimm, who graduates this year, will end his high
school career without a legal victory.
(Related: Supreme
Court won't hear case involving transgender teen Gavin Grimm.)
“This case will not be resolved until
after I graduate. But this fight is bigger than me,” Grimm
wrote. “I came to realize that very early on, and it is truer
now than it ever has been. This fight is for other trans youth in my
high school. It is for other trans youth in Virginia. It is for all
trans youth who are in school or one day will be. It is for the
friends and loved ones of these youth, who want these children to be
happy and healthy, rather than at risk and in danger as so many trans
people are.”
“I am often asked if I regret my
actions, or if I would do anything differently if I had the chance.
When people ask that, I immediately think about the hundreds of
parents who have reached out to thank me on behalf of their children.
I think of the hundreds of young people who have thanked me
themselves. I think of the countless #StandWithGavin messages on
social media, and the countless hugs and handshakes at school and on
the sidewalks of my town. I think of people I’ve gotten to meet and
grown to love. I think of how honored I am to carry the voice, in
some way, of a community so rich and so colorful and so important. I
think of how I’ve grown from that 15-year-old child, sitting in
fear as he waits to hear what his future will be, into the young man
who stands hand in hand with a huge community as we all prepare to
take the next step in this fight. I think of my parents, unwavering
and strong as pillars in my success and growth. And I say,
'Absolutely not.'”
Grimm added that “regardless of what
hatred or ignorance or discrimination” he may face, he will be
fine, because he has “love on his side.”