The Obama administration will send letters to every public school district in the United States on Friday, telling them they have to let transgender students use the bathrooms that match their gender identity, The New York Times reports.
The letters will be signed by officials from the Justice and Education Departments, and will explain what schools must do to make sure students are not discriminated against. The directive does not have the force of law, the Times reports, but schools that do not follow it could get sued and lose federal aid. Although the move comes just days after North Carolina and the Justice Department sued each other over a state law that requires transgender people use the bathroom that corresponds to their biological sex, the Justice Department says it has been working on the letter for the past few months.
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