Before the ink was dry on a directive by the Obama administration sent Friday instructing public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity, political and religious leaders across the country were calling on everything from defying the directive to violently confronting LGBT supporters.
Republican governors and attorneys general in a dozen states swiftly condemned the administration, accusing it of “overreaching,” “social engineering” and using “bullying and blackmail tactics,” with many threatening to take legal action.
The letter to all U.S. public schools by the Justice Department and the Department of Education outlines the administration’s interpretation of discrimination as it relates to transgender rights. It is a directive, not law, but schools could face lawsuits or lose federal aid if they are not accommodating to transgender individuals.
