skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, November 14, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump picks Matt Gaetz for attorney general, Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence; NY lawmakers supported House bill harmful to nonprofits; Report: Chesapeake Bay cleanup deadline looms as officials propose next phase; Michiganders rally at state capital to end prison crisis.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump promises a smooth transition this time. South Dakota Sen. John Thune will lead that chamber's new majority, and one failed bill could be an omen of what a GOP trifecta in Washington will bring.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

An urban vote slump, not the rural electorate, tipped the presidential election. Minnesota voters approved more lottery money to support conservation and clean water. And a survey shows strong broadband lets rural businesses boom.

ACLU: Transgender Discrimination at Illinois School Could Have National Effects

play audio
Play

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.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The Buffalo River Watershed Alliance was created to help preserve and protect the scenic beauty and pristine water quality of the Buffalo National River by opposing and preventing the construction and operation of industrial concentrated animal feeding operations within the Buffalo River watershed. (ODell Outside/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Members of the Buffalo River Watershed Alliance are supporting two moratoriums on concentrated animal feeding operations to be voted on today by the A…


Social Issues

play sound

President-elect Donald Trump has named Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., as his nominee for Secretary of State, prompting experts to assess Rubio's …

Social Issues

play sound

Teachers' unions say they're at an impasse in bargaining with two Oregon school districts. After four intense mediation sessions, Albany teachers …


Animal-welfare groups accuse state authorities of turning a blind eye to allegations of neglect at California poultry farms. (Roibu/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A measure to end factory farming in Sonoma County has only received about 15% of the vote so far - so supporters are gathering tomorrow in Santa Rosa …

Social Issues

play sound

Hundreds of people from across Michigan gathered in Lansing this week, urging House Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit and Senate Majority Leader Winnie …

The FBI is investigating a nationwide wave of harassing texts with messages referencing slavery. In Wisconsin, Black residents of all ages have reported receiving them. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A recent wave of racist texts targeting Black Wisconsinites has sparked concerns about data privacy. The personal information people voluntarily …

Environment

play sound

In last week's election, South Dakota voters defeated the carbon pipeline law by a wide margin, but pipeline companies could still gain ground in …

Environment

play sound

President-elect Donald Trump's agenda for "energy dominance" could majorly impact leaders in the sector, including the state of Wyoming and the …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021