The Pine-Richland School District first made headlines over its policies for transgender students in 2016.
That October, three trans students sued the district – which serves the northern outskirts of Allegheny County – for barring students from using the school bathroom associated with their gender identity.
Students had long been allowed to choose a restroom according to their gender identity. But the district suspended this policy over one parent’s complaint that “individuals with male genitalia who believe themselves to be girls” entered the girls’ restroom.
The district initially urged a dismissal of the lawsuit, but later settled and allowed students to continue using the restroom aligning with their identity.
Less than a decade later, though, that same district – and that same policy – have come back under legal scrutiny. In January, America First Legal, a conservative group based in Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit alleging the policy violates parental rights.
“They’re trying to kind of intimidate and even turn over some existing policies that way,” said Carrie Wardzinski. Wardzinski serves as a Pittsburgh-area organizer for the progressive political group Red, Wine and Blue, which organizes around women’s issues in suburban swing districts.
Wardzinski described America First’s work as “astroturf” activism — using financial and legal backing to create the illusion of a grassroots effort.
This lawsuit does not mark the group’s first appearance in Pittsburgh. Instead, it fits into a pattern of conservative groups targeting LGBTQ inclusion policies in and around the city.
Several groups involved in these efforts have ties to a single conservative root: The Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that operates nationally.
Kristina Moon, senior attorney at a Pennsylvania legal nonprofit called the Education Law Center, said that national conservative groups tap into concerns from “a minority of parents,” and use them to advance conservative policy changes, regardless of whether those policies “present problems at the school level.”
“Schools have had affirming, inclusive policies or practices in place for years, with no conflicts, no problem,” she said.
Since 2020, elected officials in Allegheny County and Pittsburgh have banned conversion therapy for minors, expanded support for LGBTQ-owned businesses and codified protections for gender-affirming health care.
But even as governments move toward LGBTQ inclusion, growing backlash from out-of-state actors has challenged existing protections, especially for trans residents. From the courtroom to the classroom, many of these efforts have eyed colleges and public schools, which have become ideological battlegrounds over LGBTQ rights nationally.
Warning signs emerged for some in 2022, when America First aired a series of anti-trans advertisements across Pittsburgh radio stations. The spots drew swift condemnation from elected officials.
Read entire article here
About Post Author
