Supreme Court decision on bathroom case hailed as a victory for LGBT youth

In a victory for LGBT youth advocates, the Supreme Court declined Monday to hear a case that could have restricted transgender students’ ability to use bathrooms aligned with their gender identity.

The decision lets stand a lower court ruling that a school district in Virginia violated anti-discrimination laws when it prohibited a transgender male student from using the boys’ bathroom on campus.

The case, Grimm vs. Glouchester County School Board, centered on a high school student, Gavin Grimm, who wanted to use the boys’ bathroom at school after he began identifying as a boy. The school board prohibited it, and he and his family sued on the grounds that the school board violated his civil rights.

“I am glad that my years-long fight to have my school see me for who I am is over,” Grimm said in a statement published in the Washington Post. “Trans youth deserve to use the bathroom in peace without being humiliated and stigmatized by their own school boards and elected officials.”

The Trevor Project, a leading advocacy group for LGBT youth, hailed the Supreme Court’s decision.

“This is a monumental victory for transgender equality and human rights. The fearlessness and determination displayed by Gavin Grimm and his attorneys in this six-year-long battle for justice is nothing short of inspiring,” Amit Paley, executive director of the Trevor Project, said. “Thanks to their courageous leadership, this victory will help protect the rights of transgender and nonbinary students across the country and save young lives. … We are excited to see this case come to a close.”