Supreme Court Will Hear Transgender Bathroom Case

17-year-old Gavin Grimm just wants to be able to use the men's room at school
By Michael Harthorne,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 28, 2016 4:16 PM CDT
Supreme Court Will Hear Transgender Bathroom Case
The Supreme Court announced Friday it will hear the case of Gavin Grimm, the transgender teen who wants to be able to use the men's restroom at his Virginia high school.   (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

Eight justices or no, the Supreme Court will tackle another major social issue after it announced Friday it will hear the case of a transgender teen who wants to use the men's restroom at his Virginia high school, the AP reports. In the Washington Post, 17-year-old Gavin Grimm says he used the men's room at his school for months after coming out as transgender until the school board got wind of it and held two "humiliating and painful" public meetings "to discuss my genitals and restroom usage." After the Gloucester County school board banned Grimm from using the men's room, Grimm won a court case to allow him to use the restroom that matches his gender identity, USA Today reports.

But the Supreme Court put the lower court's decision on hold last summer and will hear the case next year, likely reaching a decision by June. The justices' decision to hear the case means Grimm won't be able to use the men's room during his senior year of high school, but he says he's willing to sacrifice if it means helping transgender students around the country. "I hope the justices of the Supreme Court can see me and the rest of the transgender community for who we are—just people—and rule accordingly," he says in the Post. “The Supreme Court’s ultimate decision in this case will have a profound impact on transgender youth across the country,” the Human Rights Campaign's legal director tells USA Today. (More transgender stories.)

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