Parents for Privacy v. Dallas School District No. 2 (U.S.C.A. 9th Circuit, 2019)

At issue in this case is a school district’s policy allowing transgender students to use the restrooms and changing facilities consistent with their gender identities. ADL, which has provided anti-bias training to schools around the country through its No Place for Hate^® program for over a decade, filed an amici brief supporting the policy of Dallas School District No. 2 in Oregon. Our brief was joined by LGBTQ advocacy organizations, civil society groups, youth advocates, and religiously affiliated organizations. In the brief, we draw on our experience as a provider of anti-bias education programs to show that inclusive policies like those of Dallas are in the best interest of LGBTQ students, and that these policies promote a cohesive and respectful school environment to the benefit of all students. The brief also highlights the devastating impacts of intolerance and exclusion on LGBTQ students including disproportionate rates of bullying, physical ailments, increase risks of homelessness, and other negative outcomes. Dallas’s policy is not novel- and is consistent with similar policies upheld by numerous other courts. Indeed, it reflects a core American constitutional principle: the prevention of damaging discrimination in a school environment.