Wisconsin school district settles discrimination suit brought by transgender student for $800K

A Wisconsin school district will pay $800,000 to settle a discrimination lawsuit brought by a transgender former student.

The Kenosha Unified School District voted on Tuesday to approve the settlement in the suit brought by Ash Whitaker, who graduated in June 2017, according to the Kenosha News.

“I am deeply relieved that this long, traumatic part of my life is finally over and I can focus on my future and simply being a college student,” Whitaker said in a statement released by the Transgender Law Center.

{mosads}Whitaker filed the suit in July 2016, alleging that Tremper High School banned him from using the boys’ bathroom and monitored his use of bathrooms. Whitaker also said the school district forced him to stay in a room by himself during an overnight school trip.

In the complaint, Whitaker also alleged that the school district proposed forcing transgender students to wear green wristbands so staff could identify them and monitor their restroom use.

In May 2017, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit unanimously upheld a district court’s decision to issue a preliminary injunction against the school district, preventing them from enforcing policies against Whitaker, according to BuzzFeed News.

The Kenosha News reports that $650,000 of the total settlement paid by the school district will go toward attorneys’ fees. The rest of the settlement will go to Whitaker.

“This settlement sends the clear message to all school districts that discriminating against transgender students is against the law and harms students who simply want to go to school,” Joseph Wardenski, one of Whitaker’s attorneys, said in a statement.