U.S. Directs Access to Restrooms

The Obama administration is planning to issue a sweeping directive telling every public school district in the country to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms that match their gender identity. A letter to school districts will go out Friday, adding to a highly charged debate over transgender rights in the middle of the administration’s legal fight with North Carolina over the issue. The declaration — signed by Justice and Education department officials — will describe what schools should do to ensure that none of their students are discriminated against. It does not have the force of law, but it contains an implicit threat: Schools that do not abide by the Obama administration’s interpretation of the law could face lawsuits or a loss of federal aid. The move is certain to draw fresh criticism, particularly from conservative Republicans, that the federal government is wading into local matters and imposing its own values on communities across the country that may not agree. Courts have not settled the question of whether the nation’s sex discrimination laws apply in matters of gender identity. But the issue has been brought up recently. This week, the Justice Department and North Carolina sued each other over a state law that restricts access to bathrooms, locker rooms and changing rooms.

In Other News Donald Trump went to Capitol Hill for a meeting with House Speaker Paul Ryan and other party leaders designed to get the GOP on the same page. The gun George Zimmerman purportedly used to kill Trayvon Martin may still be up for auction. Zimmerman initially listed the weapon on GunBroker, but the website sent out a message Thursday afternoon saying it had rejected the idea. He then tried to sell the gun through United Gun Group, an online marketplace for firearms. It listed the weapon at a starting bid of $5,000, the same as on the previous site. United Gun Group put out a statement Thursday night, saying the gun will not be sold on its site. Zimmerman said he used the gun to kill Martin, an unarmed African- American teen, in Florida four years ago. He claimed self-defense and was found not guilty. The former neighborhood watch volunteer admitted to shooting Martin in February 2012 but said he was defending himself after the teenager attacked him. His acquittal sparked nationwide debate and protests in a case that was racially charged from the start. Martin's family declined to comment on the purported sale of the gun, saying the Trayvon Martin Foundation is focused on ending gun violence in the United States.

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