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Trump announces Pam Bondi of FL as new attorney general pick, hours after Matt Gaetz withdraws; House passes bill targeting nonprofits in NY and nation; NM researcher studies why pedestrian and bicyclist deaths are on the rise; Researchers link better outcomes to MN adoption reforms.

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Trump has a new pick for Attorney General, his incoming "border czar" warns local Democratic officials not to impede mass deportation, and the House passes legislation that could target any nonprofit group accused of supporting terrorism.

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The CDC has a new plan to improve the health of rural Americans, updated data could better prepare folks for flash floods like those that devastated Appalachia, and Native American Tribes could play a key role in the nation's energy future.

ACLU: Transgender Discrimination at Illinois School Could Have National Effects

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Wednesday, October 14, 2015   

CHICAGO - A Chicago-area transgender student who identifies as female again is being denied access to a school locker room by district officials even though the federal Department of Education ordered the school to give her full access to the girls' locker room.

John Knight, director of the LGBT and HIV Project with the ACLU of Illinois, said the district clearly is discriminating against the student.

"This is the first the Department of Education has ruled on a case of this sort," he said, "and they are the experts, and their determination that this is a violation of federal law should have an impact nationally."

The student, whose name has not been released, first raised a complaint over District 211 with the federal goverment about a year and a half ago. The district is arguing that it's protecting the school's other students' right to privacy by giving the transgender student her own changing room.

Knight said she and other transgender students across the country already are facing undue hardships, such as bullying and being ostracized at school.

"A policy like District 211's is something that places these vulnerable students in even greater risk of harm," he said.

So far, the Department of Education hasn't made any public comments on the issue, but Knight said it's likely the department soon could force the school to follow the federal civil-rights mandate.

"What the department's asking for is fair and equal treatment for our client," he said, "and the school has absolutely refused to do so; that would mean she's given the same options that the other girls are given."

If the school district continues to deny the transgender student full locker-room access, it could lose about $6 million in federal funding.

An ACLU press release is online at aclu-il.org.


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