Civil and Human Rights Coalition Condemns Lawsuits Challenging Civil Rights of Transgender Individuals

WASHINGTON – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in response to the ruling in Texas v. United States, in which a U.S. district judge issued an extraordinary preliminary injunction against federal guidance regarding the civil rights of transgender students in schools nationwide. The same judge will also be considering a challenge to the regulations implementing the anti-discrimination provision of the Affordable Care Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability in certain health programs or activities.

"It should come as no surprise that a lawsuit to block implementation of the Affordable Care Act's anti-discrimination protection has been filed in the same court that blocked the Department of Education and the Department of Justice's guidance clarifying schools' nondiscrimination responsibilities under Title IX.  Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 is the core civil rights law protecting people from discrimination based on sex, which includes gender identity. Students in schools and people receiving health care deserve dignity, respect, and freedom from discrimination, and our civil rights laws are designed to ensure this.

Shopping around for right-wing judges willing to block the enforcement of our nation's civil rights laws is an abuse of the judicial system. The civil and human rights coalition has always fought hard against these types of cynical attacks on civil rights, and we will continue to do so."

Nancy Zirkin is executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.