Hawaiʻi Supports Transgender Rights Case in US Supreme Court

Hawaiʻi Attorney General Doug Chin joined an amicus brief in support of a transgender student who is suing a Virginia public school for discrimination.

The brief was filed yesterday with the United States Supreme Court and signed by 19 Attorneys General who argue that discrimination on the basis of gender identity causes real and significant harm to both transgender people and the states themselves.

Attorney General Doug Chin. Courtesy photo.

Attorney General Doug Chin said, “This is about protecting civil rights. Period.”

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case, Gloucester County School Board v. G.G., on March 28, 2017.

The Gloucester County School Board’s current policy prohibits transgender boys and girls from using restrooms that other boys and girls use. The Court will consider whether that policy discriminates against transgender students on the basis of sex, in violation of Title IX.

The amicus brief was signed by 19 Attorneys General including: Hawaiʻi, New York, Washington, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.

On Feb. 22, the United States Department of Justice sent a letter to the Supreme Court advising the Court that the Trump administration had withdrawn Obama administration protections for transgender students in public schools.

The brief states, “[t]he amici States’ shared experience demonstrates that protecting transgender people from discrimination benefits all members of the public. And contrary to the petitioner’s claims, our shared experience demonstrates that protecting the civil rights of transgender people—including by allowing them access to common restrooms consistent with their gender identity—creates no public safety or personal privacy threat and imposes no meaningful financial burden.”