Transgender bathroom law blocked

A federal judge has ruled that two students and an employee must be allowed to use restrooms matching their gender identity at University of North Carolina campuses, and he said they have a strong chance of proving the state’s bathroom-access measure violates federal law.

U.S. District Judge Thomas Schroeder on Friday temporarily blocked the University of North Carolina from making the three plaintiffs follow the provision of the law, HB2, as the larger case makes its way to trial in November. His final decision won’t come until after trial.

Passed in March, HB2 requires transgender people to use restrooms in schools and many public buildings that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates, rather than their gender identity. It also excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from state antidiscrimination protections.

The state’s Republican leaders argue the law is needed to protect privacy and safety by keeping men out of women’s restrooms. Transgender residents challenging the law say that restroom safety is protected by existing laws and that the North Carolina measure is harmful and discriminatory.