rThe Trump administration will revoke guidelines that allow transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms matching their chosen gender identity, according to the Associated Press and Reuters.
The sure-to-be divisive decision would be a reversal of an Obama-era directive issued in May that required public schools to grant bathroom access even if student records differ or others are uncomfortable.
Press Secretary Sean Spicer said on Wednesday that President Trump believes the issue is for the states to decide without federal involvement, hinting that more information will come out later in the day.
The AP cited a “government official” with “direct knowledge” of Trump’s plans who is not authorized to speak on the record. Reuters took the report a step further, obtaining and publishing a draft of a Trump administration document that reverses Obama’s signature initiative on transgender rights.
Conservatives have express concerns about men or boys claiming to be transgender in order to prey on females in public restrooms. However, Trump famously allowed transgender reality star Caitlyn Jenner to use the women’s room at Trump International Hotel and Tower during the campaign.
Trump used rhetoric that the decision should be up to individual states after Republicans criticized his initial stance that transgender people should be able to use the bathroom they feel is appropriate.