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CT Attorney General Tong joins coalition of states in support of Florida transgender student

HARTFORD — Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is joining 21 other attorneys general around the country, in support of a student who is suing the St...

HARTFORD — Connecticut Attorney General William Tong is joining 21 other attorneys general around the country, in support of a student who is suing the St. Johns County School Board in Florida for discrimination.

Drew Adams is an 18-year old student attending Allen D. Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Since 2015, Adams has been using the boy’s restroom because he transitioned from female to male. Adams was strictly told that he can only use the gender-neutral restrooms when an anonymous complaint was brought up to the school. The complaint stressed the district’s policy for transgender students.

Thursday night, the attorneys general filed for an amicus brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. They argue that, “The St. Johns County School Board’s policy violates Title IX by denying transgender boys and girls access to the same common restrooms other boys and girls may use — and therefore discriminating on the basis of sex.”

The amicus brief was authored by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson. It was later signed by 21 other attorneys generals, including states such as Connecticut, Illinois, and Hawaii.

The attorneys general say they want to ensure the rights of transgender people. This includes ensuring them the right to use the restrooms that is consistent with their gender identity while creating no public safety or personal privacy while not imposing any meaningful financial burdens.

Attorney General William Tong said in a statement:

“Discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression is illegal in Connecticut and wrong. This case has the potential to set powerful national precedent, and the Office of the Attorney General is ready to aggressively protect the civil rights of transgender people.”

You can read the entire amicus brief here. 

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