Obama transgender bathroom stance based on Bible reading, interpretation of law

The Obama administration's directive to public schools that they should let people use restrooms and similar facilities in accordance to their gender identity has sparked outrage and criticism. The president of the United States defended his stance by saying that it is based on his reading of the Bible and the law.

"My reading of scripture tells me that that [the] Golden Rule is pretty high up there in terms of my Christian belief," President Barack Obama said at a town hall in Elkhart, Indiana, as quoted by Breitbart.

He said that in the past, students were made to suffer silently, and schools have been trying to find a proper procedure in order to address it.

"What happened and what continues to happen is you have transgender kids in schools. And they get bullied. And they get ostracized. And it's tough for them," Reuters quotes the president as saying. "My best interpretation of what our laws and our obligations are is that we should try to accommodate these kids so that they are not in a vulnerable situation."

In a letter issued by the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office of Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education on May 13, public schools were given guidelines on civil rights protections for transgender students. The letter "explains how the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) evaluate a school's compliance" with the regulations of Title IX, which prohibits discrimination, including against a person's gender identity.

"As a condition of receiving Federal funds, a school agrees that it will not exclude, separate, deny benefits to, or otherwise treat differently on the basis of sex any person in its educational programs or activities unless expressly authorized to do so under Title IX or its implementing regulations," it reads.

Among other things, a school should let students choose which restroom or locker room they wish to use, depending on which gender they identify with. Also, students must be addressed using names and pronouns consistent with their gender identity. Transgender students should also be allowed to use housing and overnight accommodations consistent with the their gender identity, and a school "may not require transgender students to stay in single-occupancy accommodations or to disclose personal information when not required of other students."

"I have profound respect for everybody's religious beliefs on this, but if you're at a public school, the question is, how do we just make sure that, children are treated with kindness," he said.

While Obama doesn't think he made the transgender bathroom controversy an issue, he said many people think that he did. He said there are more pressing issues, such as the Islamic State, than the one on transgender bathroom use.