Apple lends support to transgender school student fighting Supreme Court case

Today, HRC announced that 53 major US companies have joined a “friend of the court” brief supporting transgender student Gavin Grimm in G.G. v. Gloucester County School Board.

Oral argument in the Virginia case was heard December 5, the same day justices heard McCrory v. Harris, a North Carolina racial gerrymandering case that deals specifically with districts 1 and 12 after a three-judge panel ruled in February that the state’s Congressional District map was drawn with racial bias. Grimm’s case is heating up in the face of President Donald Trump’s decision to remove guidelines put in place by the Obama administration, specifically covering the use of public bathrooms, showers, and locker rooms by transgender students.

The case has garnered a lot of attention, and Americans United, along with the National LGBT Bar Association and co-counsel at the law firm Hogan Lovells, weighed in with a friend-of-the-court brief this week to explain that religious or moral disapproval of transgender persons may not justify the government’s discriminatory actions. The school board asked the justices to invite the US solicitor general to file a brief expressing the views of the United States.

Howard Zelbo of Cleary Gottlieb said, “In this brief transgender individuals speak directly to the Court”. They argued that Grimm and other transgender students like him should be given equal protection under the law, NBC News reported. Seattle’s Amicus brief will appear with all the documents the court will consider. Now, as the cold winds of winter blow in, we are seeking to also meet the physical needs of the people by providing fuel-operated heaters for the refugees and their children to stay warm. “Transgender equality is not merely an issue”. Airbnb, eBay, PayPal, Tumblr and Williams-Sonoma also signed the brief.

Joining Madigan in filing the amicus brief were attorneys general from: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Rhode Island, Virginia, Vermont, Washington and the District of Columbia. If it were limited, the school board could pass illegal policies that conflict with state law during the summer break when there are no students on campus to challenge the law.

Nothing would be gained, both sides contended, by sending back to lower courts the case of Gloucester County School Board v. G.G.

“The real world examples included in our brief demonstrate one simple truth: inclusive policies work”.

In January, 23 different states filed a brief supporting the school board, arguing that Title IX does not clearly cover transgender discrimination.

“Across the country, forward-thinking schools and school districts are proving the fear-mongers wrong”.