Caitlyn Jenner has chimed in on the Trump administration’s decision to revoke federal guidelines aimed at protecting transgender students in public schools. In an Instagram post shared Thursday evening, Jenner begins her message by directly addressing transgender teens who are impacted by the reversal in school policy. “I have a message for the trans kids of America,” she begins. “You are winning. I know it doesn’t feel that way today or every day, but you _ are _ winning.” Jenner continues the post by directing supporters of the “winning side” to the National Center for Trans Equality, where they can find ways to help. She then directs her attention to the “bullies” in the matter, and, finally, addresses President Donald Trump in the accompanying video.
In addressing the “bullies,” Jenner writes: “You suck. You’re losers and you’re going to keep on losing. Because you’re weak, you pick on kids or you pick on women or anyone you think is vulnerable.” Jenner also takes a swipe at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, though she doesn’t mention him by name. While the new memo to public schools is jointly signed by the heads of the Department of Education and Justice, the New York Times and other outlets have reported that Sessions is the one who spearheaded the move to revoke the previous guidelines on trans youth.
The Obama administration saw the protection of trans youth in schools as falling under Title IX, which prevents discrimination based on sex. The federal guidelines dictated that school districts receiving federal money allow students to use the facilities (i.e., bathrooms and locker rooms) of their choice. That policy has since been challenged in court, and Sessions cited the current litigation as reason for revoking the guidelines.
The larger issue of transgender rights is still, however, scheduled for deliberation before the Supreme Court next month when it hears the case of Gavin Grimm. Grimm, a young trans students from Virginia, came into the national spotlight in 2015 when he sued his school district for instituting a policy dictating students must use the bathrooms corresponding with their gender at birth. While the Supreme Court could opt to not hear the case anymore after the Trump administration withdrew the policy that spurred the litigation, both sides are pressing for a decision.“If anything, the confusion caused by this recent action by the Department of Justice and the Department of Education only underscores the need for the Supreme Court to bring some clarity here,” said Joshua Block, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, according to NPR.
In Jenner’s Instagram video, she directly addresses President Trump. Jenner, a Republican, was one of the notable celebrity guests at a pre-inauguration dinner for Trump. Trump’s decision, however, to approve the rollback of protections for trans youth in public schools is clearly not sitting well with Jenner. “This is a disaster and you can still fix it,” Jenner says in the video. “You made a promise to protect the LGBT community. Call me.”
This post has been updated throughout.
