Supreme Court sends trans-gender rights case back to lower court

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March 6, 2017 7:51 PM

A gender neutral restroom at a school in Los Angeles

The US Supreme Court on Monday sent a key transgender rights case back to a lower court for reconsideration, after the administration of President Donald Trump withdrew guidance to schools that was relevant to the case.

The high court had scheduled a hearing for March 28 on a case involving bathroom rights for Gavin Grimm, a transgender high school boy in Virginia.

But on February 22, the Trump administration overturned rules set by predecessor Barack Obama requiring public schools to let transgender students use bathrooms and locker rooms matching the gender with which they identify, rather than the one on their birth certificate.

The new guidance allows states and school districts to decide whether students can access bathrooms of their choice.

The old guidelines interpreted the federal law banning sex discrimination in schools to include gender identity.

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