On Monday, February 12th the United States Education Department announced that they will no longer be investigating civil rights suits involving Title IX from transgender students in America that are denied access to bathrooms that match their gender identity. Title IX is a title protecting students from sex discrimination in the education system.

“I think they’re ignoring a entire population of students that have a really difficult time in their school day,” art instructor and advisor to Westside’s Gender Sexuality Alliance AKA GSA, Liz Dittrick, said.

The way title IX is viewed by the government also changed due to this announcement. During the Obama administration it was said that denying a transgender student appropriate bathroom access based on their gender identity was a violation of title IX. Now, the education department announced that it is not in violation of the title because it only prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex and not gender identity.

“It’s [the announcement] not going to change what [transgender students] know, but it is going to infurirate them more” Dittrick said.

This announcement has not had any direct effect on westside students since there are not any transgender bathrooms on campus, but it still does make an impact on transgender students here at Westside.

“As somebody who is transgender, the fact that we don’t have any transgender bathrooms really makes me uncomfortable,” junior Zarifeh Patterson said.

Currently 18 states guarantee transgender individuals access to public restrooms, not including Nebraska.