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A US JUDGE has blocked federal guidelines instructing public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms and other private facilities of their choice.
US District Judge Reed O’Connor ruled yesterday in favour of Texas and 12 other states, which have sued the federal government over the new rules.
The regulations were designed to create safer environments for transgender students at public school districts and universities.
US authorities had issued written guidelines in May, built on existing laws against sexual discrimination, which asked schools to let youths use the bathrooms matching their gender identity rather than the sex on their birth certificate.
The letter suggested that not doing so could run afoul of laws barring gender discrimination.
But O’Connor ruled that the federal government had violated procedures in issuing the new standards and incorrectly interpreted existing laws. He said:
The guidelines are, in practice, legislative rules – not just interpretations or policy statements because they set clear legal standards.
Existing federal laws regarding a person’s sex were intended to be limited to “the biological and anatomical differences between male and female students as determined at their birth,” the judge said.
Overreach
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who brought the lawsuit and is lead plaintiff, celebrated the ruling. In a statement, Paxton said:
We are pleased that the court ruled against the Obama administration’s latest illegal federal overreach.
“This president is attempting to rewrite the laws enacted by the elected representatives of the people, and is threatening to take away federal funding from schools to force them to conform.”
The gay and transgender rights advocacy group Human Rights Campaign expressed disappointment and hope that the new trans guidelines will ultimately prevail, as legal battles continue over the scope of gender discrimination laws in public schools.
The ruling “puts thousands of transgender students at even greater risk of marginalisation, harassment, and discrimination as they return to school this fall,” HRC Legal Director Sarah Warbelow said in a statement.
All students, regardless of their gender identity, deserve to be able to learn in an environment free from discrimination.
O’Connor said his ruling does not preclude states following the federal guidelines if they wish to do so, but states were free to ignore the guidelines without fear that they would be breaking the law.
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Definitely time the banks update their systems. This is getting way too common. The fees have gone up, start using them to provide a service!
Most of the banks systems are ok. It’s just ulster bank who’s systems are outdated but will cost millions to update
Karl
Did you not hear of the Bank of Ireland problems?
THIS! Most banks still use mainframes for a lot of their nightly transactions. They need to rebuild!
Its Ulcer bank at this stage for its customers…
Perhaps if they try to FIX the problem rather than FOX it
as in your headline,the customers will be happier!
Thanks for pointing that out :) I’ve FIXED it now.
You FOX Michelle and your fixing !
Continually having computer problems, yet continually increasing fees. Left them a year ago, terrible bank to deal with.
Couldn’t have had a different experience with them myseflf. There was an issue about a year ago that was an inconvenience but I’ve never had another issue with them and always found their staff so helpful with everything. Mobile banking is down at the moment but you can still log on through normal means as well as using the full website through your mobile device. Very minor inconvenience unless you want to be offended by it.
Never took offence to them, just got fed up paying through the nose for a service they couldn’t supply. You obviously weren’t affected when their computer systems went belly up for weeks, direct debits were being taken out twice, wages not going in etc. a joke of a bank.
Yes I lost track of how much was in my account for a few days but it got sorted and they reimbursed me for two transactions that hadn’t happened! I pay no fees at all for my banking thankfully and they have branches open on a Saturday! Like I said some people go out of their way to be upset!
Ulster bank is one of the better banks surprisingly enough. They were the last to raise their fees and they’ve a good rep for business banking.
Had to leave AIB after 12 years with them – so rude and their fees were rocketing.
Believe me Ted I haven’t got time to go out of my way and get upset with a bank. Way to busy to be checking accounts all the time in case they’ve made more mistakes. That’s why they lost me and hundreds of other customers over the last year or two. I guess some people put up with bad service and some don’t. Like I said, a joke of a bank.
Thank god I’m not one of their 600 customers
Call those 2 Canadian kids to sort it out.
I remember the good old days when banks used to at least pretend that they were looking after their customers,
when mobile banking was a lorry with a teller in the back.
I’m off to the credit union thanks.
No fee internet banking, direct debit, cash card facilities
run by volunteers who don’t cost us €100 billion every 20 years or so.
Feckin’ shower of bankers…!
HACKERS !
All those screenshots are from UK customers (Ulster bank in NI, RBS in UK).
Is there any proof of ROI customers affected?
Thank god I left them after the last major F up. Their I.T section is absolutely useless
Working now – first thing I notice is the direct debits have been taken. Back to normal, or what passes for it in a nationalised bank.
Ulster Bank couldn’t find their arse with both hands and a map !
Ulster Bank still use pen and paper. I rang today told by them my loan was with collections because it was in arrears. I said it couldn’t be and it’s most likely in credit. On hold for 36 mins while some eejit worked it out manually. At the end and after telling me 3 iMessage that I was in arrears the first eejit tells me I’m in credit and my account has been removed from arrears. They are a joke of a bank and shouldn’t even be in business.
Can they please change their debit cards. Such bad quality.
have your say