John Doe is a transgender student at West Point High School. Despite repeated requests from John and school administrators, John’s French teacher, Peter Vlaming, refused to use male pronouns when referring to John. Vlaming used female pronouns when referring to John on multiple occasions, both in class and during conversations with John’s classmates. His refusal to use the correct pronouns jeopardized John’s privacy by disclosing that John is transgender to his classmates, some of whom did not...
Our Voices
Gavin Grimm transitioned in his sophomore year of high school and started using the boys’ restroom. Despite using the restroom for nearly two months without incident, the Gloucester County School Board adopted a policy prohibiting him and other transgender students from using the facilities that match their gender identity. Gavin sued his school district for violating federal law. Gavin eventually graduated, but the school district continued to discriminate against him by refusing...
The ACLU of Virginia sued on behalf of four children adopted by same-sex couples after the Virginia Department of Vital Records refused to issue new birth certificates listing both of the children’s adoptive parents. The children were born in Virginia, but adopted by same-sex couples in the District of Columbia and New York. NCLR assisted Professor Joan Hollinger, one of the nation’s foremost scholars on adoption law, in filing an amicus brief supporting the children’s right...