Anti LGBTQ+ Discrimination

Doe v. State of South Carolina: In November 2024, Public Justice along with two law firms filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of a thirteen-year-old transgender student whose education was derailed by a bathroom ban passed in defiance of federal law. Our client, John Doe, was suspended for using the restroom that aligned with his gender identity, and then was threatened with expulsion should he do so again. By bringing a class action lawsuit, John seeks to protect thousands of trans students across the state who are being denied their rights under Title IX and the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause.

Shelby v. Huntsville City Board of Education: This federal lawsuit was filed on behalf of the parents of a Black gay teenager who died by suicide after he experienced both race and anti-gay discrimination at Huntsville High School in Alabama. Public Justice joined the case and helped secure a significant settlement that included important programmatic changes to protect other LGBTQ+ students within the school district. 

Grabowski v. Arizona Board of Regents: This groundbreaking appeal established that Title IX prohibits discrimination, including harassment, based on students’ real or perceived sexual orientation. After a district court held that Supreme Court-recognized protections for LGBTQ+ people do not apply to Title IX, Public Justice represented nineteen civil rights organizations as amici on appeal and participated in oral argument. The appellate court’s important opinion adopted amici’s arguments, providing essential protections to LGBTQ+ students. 

Doe v. Crestwood School District: Public Justice represented the parent of a non-binary child subject to harassment and discriminatory discipline based on their gender identity. Together with co-counsel, Public Justice helped the family secure a favorable settlement that protected the student’s education going forward and required new policies in the school district. 

Hecox v. Little and B.P.J. v. West Virginia: Public Justice has also joined efforts to support trans students’ access to athletics, including by joining amicus briefs in these two cases.