On Monday Judge Mark R Hornak of the US District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania ruled that three transgender students had a "reasonable likelihood" of success in their argument that the Pine-Richland School District's decision last fall to require them to use bathrooms consistence with the sex on their birth certificates was unconstitutional, and hence granted them a preliminary injunction against that policy.

With the Trump administration plans being prepared to dismantle the Obama guidance created to protect the hundreds of thousands of transgender students nationwide, an Obama official has chosen to speak out.

When I posted yesterday's diary, DoJ to appeal injunction, I was surprised to encounter a reader/commenter who came down on the side of Texas AG Ken Paxton. Not being a lawyer, I didn't really engage in any argument at the time.

Department of Justice attorneys announced Friday that they will file a formal notice of appeal of US District Judge Reed O'Connor's preliminary injunction against the Department of Education guidelines aimed at protecting transgender students from discrimination.

The Alaska Professional Teaching Practices Commission is endeavoring to include a clause adding gender identity to its code of ethics.

Three transgender seniors at Pine-Richland High School, near Pittsburgh, have sued their school district over passage of a regulation passed last month that forces them to use the restrooms associated with the gender they were assigned at birth. Previously the district had allowed transgender students to use the restroom corresponding to their gender identity.

The American Federation of Teachers , meeting in Minneapolis this past week, passed a resolution in support of LGBTQ students and staff.

The resolution is called School Safety and Educational Opportunity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning Students

As chair of the AFT’s Pride Caucus and a national board member of Pride at Work the fact that my union and America’s teachers are dedicating themselves to protecting students based on sexual orientation and gender identity means a lot.

--Pat Crispino

Mount Saint Charles Academy is a catholic junior/senior high school in Woonsocket, Rhode Island run by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart.

A week ago concerned alumni noticed that since October of last year, the parent-student handbook included the following, without any explanation:

Mount Saint Charles Academy is unable to make accommodations for transgender students. Therefore, MSC does not accept transgender students nor is MSC able to continue to enroll students who identify as transgender.

Transgender status was, in fact, the only stated exclusion listed in the handbook.

There is a six-year-old boy in Katy, TX who is transgender. His parents, who happen to be a gay couple, informed the Children's Lighthouse Learning Center that their child now should be referred to as a boy and disclosed his new name.

The school administrators were okay with that. Indeed, they appear to have been prepared for their first transgender child. A set of guidelines entitled How to Handle Transgender Students was distributed to staff members.

Two "Christian" staff members objected. They were fired.

As you might imagine, this has caused an uproar from certain sources.