FORT WORTH, Texas — Federal judge, Reed O’Connor from Texas, has temporarily blocked the Obama administration’s directive to public schools regarding transgender public school policy. The order required public school districts across the nation to allow students to use the bathroom or other facilities based on the gender with which they identify.
Schools were not told they would lose federal funds if they did not comply. However, the possibility of withholding billions of federal dollars from schools was not ruled out.
Government officials defended the rule by saying the word “sex” in anti-discrimination statutes also covers “gender identity.” They submitted that the lawsuit was filed too soon, the policy is not binding and no enforcement action had been taken.