The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed a federal lawsuit against an Indiana school district on behalf of two transgender high school students, according to Newsweek.
Also, Lambda Legal, the ACLU and the ACLU of Tennessee filed a lawsuit challenging a Tennessee law excluding transgender youth from participating in school sports, according to a press release.
In Indiana, staff members from Terre Haute North High School denied two transgender students the use of restrooms and bathrooms aligning with their associated gender identity. Since elementary school, these two students have identified as males.
Now, the ACLU's lawsuit against the Vigo Country School Corporation requests a preliminary injunction ensuring that school staffers use the preferred male names of the students. Additionally, the ACLU wants those names to be used in every school-related capacity such as school publications like the yearbook.
The Tennessee lawsuit is brought by and on behalf of 14-year-old Luc Esquivel, a freshman at Farragut High School, in Knoxville. Esquivel is an avid golfer who has been looking forward to trying out for the boys' golf team at Farragut. That aspiration was derailed when the Tennessee legislature passed and Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed into law SB 228, which bans transgender middle and high school students from participating on interscholastic sports teams that match their gender.
"There is endless research demonstrating the short-term and long-term benefits that flow from participating in team sports for kids growing up," said Lambda Legal senior attorney Sasha Buchert. "For trans kids, who often experience alienation and stigmatization, participating on teams with their peers is especially important. Luc just wants to play golf with other boys, to be part of the team, and to improve his game. Like all kids, he just wants to play."
The Newsweek article is at www.newsweek.com/indiana-school-district-sued-over-transgender-restroom-access-use-wrong-names-1647181.