When Gavin Grimm was a sophomore student at Gloucester High School four years ago, he garnered national attention when he first transitioned and began using the boys’ restroom at school and dressing like a male, and then he alleged the county school board put in place a policy that banned him from using either girls’ or boys’ restrooms.
His allegations sparked a legal battle with the courts.
Now, Grimm is an alumnus of the high school and a college student. But Arenda Wright Allen, a federal judge in Virginia, just ruled in favor of Grimm, telling the county school board that it must recognize him as male, in a win for transgender rights.
Allen awarded Grimm one dollar in damages and told the school district to pay his court fees. The district also must update his records to indicate he is male, according to CNN.
“However well-intentioned some external challenges may have been and however sincere worries were about possible unknown consequences arising from a new school restroom protocol, the perpetuation of harm to a child stemming from unconstitutional conduct cannot be allowed to stand,” the judge wrote on Friday. “These acknowledgments are made in the hopes of making a positive difference to Mr. Grimm and to the everyday lives of our children who rely upon us to protect them compassionately and in ways that more perfectly respect the dignity of every person.”
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Grimm, in previous interviews with CNN, said “The bottom line is I’m a boy like anybody else. I’m not a freak — my very existence is not a perversion. I’m just a person who is trying to live his life like anybody else, and that I have to think about my bathroom usage is unacceptable.”
Diversity Inc previously reported that Grimm received a full-ride college scholarship from Aaron Jackson, a well-known LGBTQ ally, who famously purchased a house across the street from the notoriously anti-gay Westboro Baptist Church, painted it the colors of the gay pride flag and aptly named it the Equality House.
