On Nov. 25, several national, state, and local organizations submitted amicus (friend-of-the-court) briefs in support of Gavin Grimm's case against the Gloucester County School Board. The groups include:
- School administrators from 29 states and Washington D.C.
- Attorney generals from 22 states and Washington D.C.
- 17 medical, public health, and mental health organizations
- Eight national and local advocacy groups
- NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
- The Trevor Project
- Four national school counselor and psychologist groups
- Advocates for Intersex Youth
The states, groups and organizations that signed on to these amicus briefs cited many reasons why Gavin Grimm's case is critical.
School administrators dispelled the myth that allowing transgender students to use facilities corresponding with their gender identity is disruptive: "Inclusive policies not only fully support the reality of transgender students' circumstances but also foster a safer and more welcoming learning environment for all students."
"As educators, [we] are respectful of the needs and concerns of all their students," the administrators wrote. "But [we] strongly disagree that a school should discriminate against transgender students in order to accommodate complaints that other students are 'uncomfortable' with sharing restroom or locker room facilities with a transgender person. That is simply not how educators deal with sudents' discomfort with others or with themselves."
The Trevor Project shared information on the effects of discrimination against transgender children, particularly with regard to mental health.
"The day-to-day harm that transgender youth endure because of the perpetuation of institutional discrimination and the stigma of being singled out for differential treatment based on their gender identity cannot be allowed to stand."
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund connected the Gloucester County School Board's discriminatory policy to racially segregated facilities under Jim Crow laws.
"Transgender children cannot change who they are—nor should they be ashamed of who they are. Like Black children in the Jim Crow South, Gavin had to walk lengthy distances and pass bathrooms that could host him just as well as they hosted their intended users."
The NAACP also wrote that there is "simply no explanation for the School Board's policy beyond discomfort, fear, and hostility toward transgender sudents. Such sentiments cannot justify any policy, let alone one that stigmatizes children in their own schools."
“We're grateful for the overwhelming support for Gavin Grimm and his years-long battle for trans rights,” said Eden Heilman, the ACLU of Virginia legal director. "These amicus briefs underscore the importance of stopping egregious attempts at expelling trans people from public life. Trans and non-binary people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect like everyone else, and it’s heartening to see so many organizations and groups across the country having Gavin's back."
