Three transgender students in Oklahoma are suing the state’s Department of Education over a controversial May law banning them from using school restrooms and changing rooms that match their gender identity.

In a lawsuit filed in federal court Tuesday by Lambda Legal, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the ACLU of Oklahoma, attorneys for transgender students attending Oklahoma City-area schools said Senate Bill 615 would change the U.S. Constitution and Alleges racism in violation of Title IX. The basis of gender, gender identity and transgender status.

The bill, signed into law by Gov. Kevin Stitt (Republican) in May, would allow all K-12 public schools and public charter schools in the state to have multiple occupied restrooms and changing rooms based on pupils. use should be restricted. ‘Gender assigned at birth.

Under the law, the school board will be responsible for developing disciplinary policies for transgender students who violate the new restrictions, and the Oklahoma Department of Education (OSDE) will charge schools that do not comply with the law with 5% of state funding. We need to impose reducing penalties.

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In Tuesday’s lawsuit, the OSDE, members of the state school board, four Oklahoma school districts, Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Education Joy Hoffmeister — the Democratic nominee for governor — as the defendant.

Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor (Republican) is also named as a defendant in the complaint. In a May statement following Stitt’s signing of the bill, O’Connor said he was ready to defend the new law against future legal challenges.

O’Connor’s office said it could not comment on the complaint at this time.

The complaint, filed Tuesday, alleges that the plaintiffs, all of whom are transgender minors, will be “irreparably harmed” by the law and filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma to block its enforcement. I am asking for an interim injunction.

Court orders in North Carolina and Tennessee blocked similar measures restricting transgender people from using public restrooms. In Alabama, a law came into force in her May banning transgender students from using school facilities that match their gender identity.

Proponents of such laws argue that students and others should be protected from predators who might take advantage of transinclusive policies. 2018 study by Williams Institute researchers It turns out that these fears are not “experienced.”

“I’m a boy and living with integrity hasn’t always been easy, but it’s given me a sense of relief and happiness,” said Andy Bridges, one of the plaintiffs in Tuesday’s lawsuit. said in a statement released by Legal’s attorneys. .

According to the lawsuit, Bridge is a 16-year-old junior at Noble High School who used the men’s restroom without issue last year. However, before the current school year began, Bridge and his mother were notified by school officials that because he is transgender, he will be required to use a single-person bathroom this year.

According to the complaint, if Bridge continues to use the men’s restroom, he will be subject to disciplinary action, the school’s principal and vice-principal told them.

“Being able to use the men’s restroom may seem like a small thing to others, but it’s an important step in my transition,” Bridge said Tuesday. When that happens, I feel excluded and excluded from my other friends and classmates, as well as being told that I don’t deserve the same respect and dignity as everyone else.”