Education

Virginia school board will pay $1.3 million in settlement to transgender student Gavin Grimm, who sued over bathroom policy

By Hannah Natanson
Yesterday at 3:53 p.m. EDT

The Virginia school board that refused to let transgender student Gavin Grimm use the boys’ restroom — spawning a lawsuit that almost reached the U.S. Supreme Court — has agreed to settle the case and will pay Grimm $1.3 million.

The money will cover Grimm’s attorney’s fees and other costs associated with Grimm’s discrimination case against the Gloucester County School Board, a suit that has stretched for a half-
dozen years and gained national attention.

The board’s decision to settle comes about two months after the Supreme Court declined to hear Grimm’s case, effectively handing a victory to Grimm over the Gloucester School Board.

A spokeswoman for the Gloucester County School Board acknowledged in a statement that the board had agreed to pay Grimm’s attorney fees but declined further comment.

{snip}

By Hannah Natanson
Hannah Natanson is a reporter covering education and K-12 schools in Virginia. Twitter https://twitter.com/hannah_natanson

Public Safety

Transgender inmate sues Va. prison for chest surgery to treat gender dysphoria

By Justin Wm. Moyer
Yesterday at 3:20 p.m. EDT

A transgender man incarcerated at a Virginia prison filed a federal lawsuit against state corrections officials Wednesday, claiming he faces cruel and unusual punishment because the prison will not allow him to have surgery to remove his breasts.

Jason Yoakam is a transgender man living at the Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women, according to a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia. The prison is in Troy, about 110 miles southwest of the District.

On Wednesday, Yoakam, 42, sued Virginia Department of Corrections officials, saying prison medical staff diagnosed him with gender dysphoria four years ago but denied him mental health treatment and “gender confirmation chest surgery” similar to a double mastectomy.

Yoakam, who lived as a man before he was imprisoned, has felt his body “was a mistake” from an early age, according to the suit, and finds his breasts a source of “shame and disgust.” When he showers, he becomes physically ill, the suit said.

{snip}

By Justin Wm. Moyer
Justin Wm. Moyer is a reporter for The Washington Post. His work with a Post team covering Saudi lobbying was honored as a Pulitzer finalist in 2019. Twitter https://twitter.com/justinwmmoyer