President Barack Obama said Wednesday his order to public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom based on their gender identity was based on the law and the best interests of children.
Obama, speaking at a town hall event on PBS, said the federal government got involved in the matter after several school districts asked the Department of Education for guidance. However, Obama has been under heavy scrutiny for his directive.
"What happened and what continues to happen is you have transgender kids in schools. And they get bullied. And they get ostracized. And it's tough for them," Obama said. "My best interpretation of what our laws and our obligations are is that we should try to accommodate these kids so that they are not in a vulnerable situation.”
Obama’s directive came on May 13. The federal government told public schools they must allow transgender students to use bathrooms that correspond with their gender identity rather than the gender listed on their birth certificate.
If schools failed to meet heed the order, the Obama administration threatened to cut federal funding. According to Reuters, the order relied on an interpretation of the Title IX directive, which protects people from discrimination based on gender in education programs that receive federal funds.
Outraged over Obama’s order some states have decided they would challenge the White House’s directive in court.
The state Senate lauded Attorney General Derek Schmidt for announcing the intent to legally challenge the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education. Texas and 10 other states already have filed suit against the federal government over the directive. Kansas Republican legislators also urged the Republican-majority U.S. Congress to blunt the directive by passing legislation that protects privacy rights.
Meanwhile, Texas Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pledged at a press conference Tuesday to support schools that refuse to let transgender bathrooms of their choice.
"Transgender students deserve the rights of anyone else. It does not mean they get to use the girls' room if they're a boy," Patrick said.
Parents of transgender warned outside the Texas Capitol Tuesday that constant repudiation is taking a dangerous toll. They included the mother of a 5-year-old transgender girl who held a picture of her child smiling in a pink patterned dress and shoulder-length hair. She cried while asking why the state wants to force her daughter into the boys' room at school.
Republican-led Kansas said it will sue the Obama administration over the order, but has not decided to join a lawsuit over brought upon by 11 other states.
The state Senate lauded Attorney General Derek Schmidt for announcing the intent to legally challenge the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education. Texas and 10 other states already have filed suit against the federal government over the directive. Kansas Republican legislators also urged the Republican-majority U.S. Congress to blunt the directive by passing legislation that protects privacy rights.
Meanwhile, Texas Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick pledged at a press conference Tuesday to support schools that refuse to let transgender bathrooms of their choice.
"Transgender students deserve the rights of anyone else. It does not mean they get to use the girls' room if they're a boy," Patrick said.
Parents of transgender warned outside the Texas Capitol Tuesday that constant repudiation is taking a dangerous toll. They included the mother of a 5-year-old transgender girl who held a picture of her child smiling in a pink patterned dress and shoulder-length hair. She cried while asking why the state wants to force her daughter into the boys' room at school.
She and other parents said Patrick's comments are provoking hostilities in school hallways. Like many other Republicans across the country, Patrick says the privacy and safety of students are put at risk by letting transgender people use the bathroom that matches their gender identity.
"You, specifically you, are endangering my child's life," said Ann Elder, mother of a 10-year-old transgender child near Houston. "You have now told everyone in the state of Texas it is OK to harass my child."
Transgender-rights advocates say claims of bathroom rights posing a public safety risk are malicious and false. They say that 18 states and scores of cities have experienced no significant public safety problems linked to their existing laws allowing transgender people to use the bathrooms of their choice.
Obama said Wednesday that there are a lot of things “more pressing” than the so-called transgender bathroom policy, including the economy, the Islamic State and jobs.
"We should deal with this issue the same way we would want it dealt with if it was our child and that is to try to create an environment of some dignity and kindness for these kids," Obama said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Photo Fox News
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