When the Trump administration lifted federal bathroom protections for transgender students, it created a ripple effect across the country as many came forward to condemn the action. The rollback also had a direct effect on the case of Gavin Grimm, a trans teen whose lawsuit for trans bathroom rights helped bring the fight for trans rights into a wider public scope.
In a new video PSA for the American Civil Liberties Union, the cast and crew of Transparent urged support for Grimm, and spoke out about why his case is so important for all of us.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
"The cast and crew of Transparent are deeply connected to the trans civil rights movement," Zackary Drucker, the show's producer, said in a statement shared with Refinery29. "While in the thick of Season 4 production, our entire team made it a priority to rally around Gavin and express solidarity with trans youth everywhere; it was incredibly inspiring."
“On Transparent we come to work with a feeling of gratitude, and we are united by our duty to serve the LGBT community," Drucker continued. "We seek ways of being supportive and actionable, and since so many of us were trans youth not long ago, we feel an acute responsibility to protect both future generations and the hurt children within us.”
Grimm, who is a student at Gloucester High School in Virginia, was initially allowed to use the boys' bathroom, but the school adopted a new policy in 2014 after receiving complaints. The ACLU then filed a lawsuit on behalf of Grimm, citing Title IX, a federal law prohibiting schools from discriminating students based on gender. While the lawsuit was brought to the Supreme Court, the Court decided earlier this week that it would not hear Grimm's case, on account of the Trump administration's reversal on the government's position on transgender rights.
However, the ACLU has not given up the fight.
"Through this labor of love, the Transparent team continues illustrating the breadth of incredible support that exists virtually everywhere for Gavin and the transgender community," James Esseks, director of the ACLU's LGBT Project, said in a statement. "We are continuing this fight through the court system and in the streets, fueled by the support and work of people in every corner of this nation to ensure the rights and dignity of trans people are respected."
You can watch the whole video above.