Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has voiced his backing for a school district aiming to uphold bathrooms categorized by biological sex. The Metropolitan School District of Martinsville initiated an appeal on August 24 following a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit’s reversal of its decision, which had aimed to “preserve the autonomy of school boards to make decisions.”
As per Fox News, a prior ruling from a lower court mandated that both Martinsville and the Vigo County School Corporation must permit students to utilize restrooms corresponding to their gender identity. This ruling ensued after legal actions initiated by students in 2021.
Rokita implied that there might be a deeper agenda at play beyond simply permitting students to select their preferred bathroom. He remarked, “This is about dividing children from their parents. It’s a lot more than just bathrooms and locker rooms.”
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita expressed his support for the Metropolitan School District of Martinsville and their decision to appeal a U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit decision.https://t.co/xn4Ekwku7l
— Indiana Daily Student (@idsnews) August 28, 2023
The lawsuit highlighted that certain students had received medical diagnoses of gender dysphoria and argued that they should have the right to use the bathroom corresponding to their condition. The report specifically referenced a pair of 15-year-old twins from the Vigo County School Corporation, who cited gender dysphoria and a disruptive colon condition affecting their restroom use as reasons for requesting access to male facilities.
It also mentioned a 13-year-old boy “who lives with his mother, M.C., in Martinsville, Indiana. A.C. is transgender and has identified as a boy since he was about eight years old. He socially transitioned when he was nine, meaning he began going by a male name, using male pronouns, and adopting a typically masculine haircut and clothing. He has never wavered from this identity since his social transition.”
Ken Falk, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, said, “Students who are denied access to the appropriate facilities are caused both serious emotional and physical harm as they are denied recognition of who they are. They will often avoid using the restroom altogether while in school. Schools should be a safe space for kids, and the refusal to allow a student to use the correct facilities can be extremely damaging.”
Rokita presently leads a coalition of 21 states that seeks to assist school districts in implementing policies that maintain school facilities based on a student’s biological sex at birth, as opposed to their gender identity.
Last month, the California attorney general disclosed the initiation of a lawsuit against the Chino Valley Unified School District. This lawsuit was in response to the district’s policy, which mandates schools to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender or employs pronouns inconsistent with their biological sex.
