In a strongly worded statement, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry accused the Obama administration of “overreach” when it issued a directive that public schools must permit transgender students to use bathrooms and facilities that correspond to their gender identity.
Landry also says he will defend the state from any legal action resulting from the directive.
“Let me perfectly clear: President Obama and his appointees do not have legal authority to require our children to share locker rooms and bathrooms with children of the opposite sex,” wrote Landry.
He says the directive violates the privacy rights of many Louisiana’s school-aged children.
Last week, the U.S. departments of education and justice issued a “dear colleague” letter to school districts. The letter was meant to act as a guide for school districts on the civil rights protections of transgender students.
The departments cited the federal Title IX law, which say no person can be discriminated against based on his or her sex.
In a statement, the East Baton Rouge School Board says it is reviewing the letter and has yet to take a position. The Louisiana Department of Education also is in the process of reviewing the federal directive, according to The Advertiser.
Landry says the Obama administration’s interpretation of Title IX constitutes “an improper attempt to commandeer State-owned property in pursuit of a federal policy that has uniformly been rejected by the federal courts.”
“The policy position adopted by the Obama Administration irresponsibly creates an environment in which children may be more easily exposed to sexual predators,” Landry, writes.
A Louisiana Family Forum petition opposing the directive had 14,183 signatures as of 3:20 p.m. today.
