Obama-----Schools must allow transgender bathrooms, Department of Education says

Schools must allow transgender bathrooms, Department of Education says:
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education will tell school districts Friday that federal law requires them to allow students to use restrooms and locker rooms "consistent with their gender identity," escalating the pressure from the Obama administration on the contentious public debate over transgender rights.
..."When a school provides sex-segregated activities and facilities, transgender students must be allowed to participate in such activities and access such facilities consistent with their gender identity," reads the letter...
...But the guidance letter also consolidates Department of Education guidance that has wide-ranging implications for transgender students in other facets of academic life.
Under the Obama administration's interpretation of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, schools are prohibited from publicly disclosing (to the parents!) a transgender student's birth name or biological sex, and are required to change the gender on school records and directories when asked.
...The guidance doesn't have the force of law, but tells schools how the Department of Education intends to enforce Title IX in the future.
And because Title IX is directly tied to federal education funding, the guidance carries an implied threat: Follow the federal guidelines or risk losing those funds.