Lynchburg judge dismisses lawsuit challenging transgender guidelines

LYNCHBURG, Va. (AP) — A Virginia judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by faith-based conservative groups challenging guidelines on the treatment of transgender students in public schools, ruling that the group lacked standing. News outlets report Lynchburg Circuit Court Judge J. Frederick Watson, who dismissed the suit Tuesday, questioned whether policies would actually affect the groups that filed the lawsuit. The Department of Education created model policies that are inclusive of transgender and nonbinary students. All school districts must adopt policies consistent with or more comprehensive than the models. The lawsuit argued that the policies violate parental child-rearing rights and student rights to freely exercise their religion.