Transgender Teen Still Fighting High School Over Transcript

For nearly four years, Gavin Grimm has been suing his former school district after it banned him from using the boys bathrooms in high school. The school board in Virginia will finally hold a public hearing Tuesday to discuss allowing transgender students to use restrooms that correspond with their gender identity. Grimm said the policy "is far from perfect, but would represent an important first step." The Gloucester County School Board's meeting comes just months before a trial over its current bathroom rules. But that's not Grimm's only beef with the board, reports the AP: A federal judge ruled Thursday that he can sue over its refusal to change the gender on his transcript, which lists him as female. Grimm says the transcript will stigmatize him every time he applies to a college or for a job. "I shouldn't have to be outed against my will," Grimm said from the Bay Area, where he moved after graduating in 2017.

A court order legally made Grimm a man. And he is listed as male on his birth certificate, passport, and a state-issued ID card in California. The issue of Grimm's transcript highlights another concern in the transgender community that remains far from settled across the nation. "We would hope states offer clear guidance," said Francisco Negron Jr., chief legal officer for the National School Boards Association. "The alternative is that students would have to make the case on their own, and school districts would not have the benefit of clarity under state law." Since moving to California, Grimm has been studying at a community college and working as an activist and educator. He's been able to avoid submitting his transcript to anyone so far. But that will likely change soon. "I'm still tethered to 2017 by this document," he said. "It's unfair that a high school that put me through so much is able to wield that much negative influence over my adult life."