Page 5 - aruba-today-20190810

A5
U.S. NEWS Saturday 10 auguSt 2019
Virginia transgender bathroom case: Judge favors ex-student

By BEN FINLEY Grimm said he felt a sense try, said Harper Jean Tobin,
Associated Press of relief but would contin- policy director for the Na-
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A ue to fight the case if the tional Center for Transgen-
federal judge in Virginia school board appeals. der Equality, speaking last
ruled Friday that a school “My case has given me month with the AP.
board’s transgender bath- something of a platform Gary McCaleb, senior
room ban discriminated that I intend to use, as long counsel for the conserva-
against a former student, as I have it available to me, tive Christian group Alli-
Gavin Grimm, the latest in for trans education and ance Defending Freedom,
a string of decisions nation- advocacy,” he added. said last month that the is-
wide that favor transgen- David Corrigan, the at- sue is far from resolved.
der students who faced torney for the Gloucester McCaleb cited a federal
similar policies. County School Board, de- discrimination complaint
The order issued by U.S. Dis- clined to comment in an his organization filed in
trict Judge Arenda Wright email to The Associated June that says a Connecti-
Allen in Norfolk is a major Press. cut policy on transgender
victory for the American In this Tuesday, July 23, 2019, file photo, Gavin Grimm, who Corrigan had argued athletes is unfair because
has become a national face for transgender students, speaks
Civil Liberties Union and for during a news conference held by The ACLU and the ACLU of in court last month that it allows transgender girls to
Grimm. His four-year law- Virginia at Slover Library in Norfolk, Va. Grimm remained female. consistently win track and
suit was once a federal Associated Press He said gender is not a “so- field events.
test case and had come to based discrimination. high school transcripts. cietal construct” and that it He also said a pending U.S.
embody the debate about “There is no question that The judge also acknowl- doesn’t matter that Grimm Supreme Court case involv-
transgender student rights. the Board’s policy discrimi- edged that the board had underwent chest recon- ing a transgender woman
The issue remains far from nates against transgender the “unenviable responsi- struction surgery and hor- who was fired by a Michi-
settled as a patchwork of students on the basis of bility” of navigating chal- mone therapy. gan funeral home could
differing policies governs their gender noncomfor- lenges that were unimagi- The judge’s ruling will likely affect school bathroom
schools across the nation. mity,” Allen wrote. nable a generation ago. strengthen similar claims policies.
More court cases are mak- “Under the policy, all stu- “There can be no doubt of discrimination made by Grimm’s lawsuit became
ing their way through the dents except for transgen- that all involved in this case students in eastern Virginia. a federal test case when it
courts. der students may use rest- have the best interests of It could have a greater im- was supported by the ad-
The Gloucester County rooms corresponding with the students at heart,” Al- pact if the case goes to an ministration of then-Presi-
School Board’s policy re- their gender identity,” she len added. appeals court that over- dent Barack Obama and
quired Grimm, a trans- continued. “Transgender Grimm graduated in 2017 sees Maryland, West Virgin- scheduled to go before the
gender male, to use girls’ students are singled out, from Gloucester High ia and the Carolinas. U.S. Supreme Court in 2017.
restrooms or private bath- subjected to discriminatory School, located in a mostly Allen’s ruling joins others But the high court hear-
rooms. The judge wrote treatment, and excluded rural area about 60 miles that have been favorable ing was canceled after
that Grimm’s rights were vi- from spaces where similarly (95 kilometers) east of Rich- to transgender students in President Donald Trump
olated under the U.S. Con- situated students are per- mond and near the Ches- states that include Mary- rescinded an Obama-era
stitution’s equal protection mitted to go.” apeake Bay. Now 20 and land, Pennsylvania and directive that students can
clause as well as under Title Allen’s ruling requires the living in California, he said Wisconsin. But differing choose bathrooms corre-
IX, the federal policy that school board to update by phone that the judge’s policies are still in place in sponding with their gender
protects against gender- the gender on Grimm’s order was “beautiful.” schools across the coun- identity.q

Georgia’s new voting machines certified by the state

By BEN NADLER The developments came criticism that they are hack-
Associated Press in court documents filed by able and fail to provide a
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s attorneys defending state paper record to audit and
secretary of state certified election officials against a verify the results.
new touchscreen voting lawsuit challenging Geor- He said the new machines
machines as election-safe gia’s current voting system will be ready for use in the
in court documents Friday, and seeking statewide use March 24 presidential pri-
bidding to put behind the of hand-marked paper bal- maries, giving officials just
acrimonious 2018 electoral lots. months to roll them out
season marred by reports The voting system overhaul across the state’s 159 coun-
of malfunctioning voting comes nearly a year af- ties. The certification docu-
equipment, hourslong wait ter Republican Gov. Brian ment says that the new sys-
times and criticism that the Kemp — previously Geor- tem “has been thoroughly
state’s outdated machines gia’s top election official examined and tested and
were vulnerable to hack- — beat Democrat Stacey found to be in compliance
ing. Abrams for the governor’s with the applicable provi-
Republican Brad Raffens- mansion. sions of” state law and rules In this Oct. 27, 2018 file photo, people cast their ballots ahead
perger’s office formally Raffensperger recently an- of Raffensperger’s office. of the Nov. 6, general election at Jim Miller Park in Marietta, Ga.
awarded a $106 million nounced the contract with Cybersecurity experts have Associated Press
contract to a Denver- Dominion for new electron- warned, however, that the machine, and voters simply ers might not take the time
based company, Domin- ic touchscreen machines new machines suffer from have to trust that the code at the polls to verify their se-
ion Voting Systems, for ma- that print a paper summary many of the same issues as accurately reflects their lections.
chines it said met state law of a voter’s ballot selec- the old ones. vote. In the event of a re- Georgia’s current voting
for election security after tions. The touchscreens will Each paper summary print- count or an audit, the print- system is set to remain in
neither losing vendor chal- replace the state’s current out will have a QR code ed choices on each paper place for special and mu-
lenged Dominion’s winning outdated machines, which above the results that will summary will be counted. nicipal elections this fall
bid. had come under heavy be read by a tabulation But experts worry that vot- and early next year.q