(COLUMBUS, Ohio)—Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today issued the following statement regarding the recent Obama Administration “guidance” letter on the issue of school facilities and issues of gender identity:
"This threat made by federal bureaucrats to nationalize and politicize the way schools address gender identity issues down to the level of school locker rooms and bathrooms is astonishing. Congress has not changed the law – and no 'guidance' from federal officials can do what Congress has declined to do.
"Our local schools across Ohio are best suited to work out how to advance the dignity and privacy interests of all students regarding matters of locker rooms and students’ gender identity. There are many questions that, consistent with constitutional guarantees, are best left to the fair-minded, sensible determinations of our local communities. Under our system of government, how schools work to handle locker room questions involving students’ gender identity is one such issue.
"If the Obama Administration takes action to remove these decisions from Ohio parents and local schools, I will vigorously fight against such overreach. As our state’s Attorney General, I don’t determine local school policies on these issues – but neither should federal bureaucrats or the President of the United States."
In addition, Attorney General DeWine sent a letter today to the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice. A copy can be accessed below.
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Documents
Letter to U.S. Attorney General (PDF)
Media Contacts
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Lisa Hackley: 614-466-3840