Pushback against trans rights in Pittsburgh area coming from D.C. root

The Pine-Richland School District first made headlines over its policies for transgender students in 2016. That October, three trans students sued the district – which serves the northern outskirts of Allegheny County – for barring students from using the school bathroom associated with their gender identity. Students had long been allowed to choose a restroom according to their gender identity. But the district suspended this policy over one parent’s complaint that “individuals with male genitalia who believe themselves to be girls” entered the girls’ restroom. The district initially urged a dismissal of the lawsuit, but later settled and allowed students to continue using the restroom aligning with their identity. Less than a decade later, though, that same district – and that same policy – have come back under legal scrutiny. In January, America First Legal, a conservative group based in Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit alleging the policy violates parental rights. “They’re trying to kind of intimidate and even turn over some existing policies that way,” said Carrie Wardzinski. Wardzinski serves as a Pittsburgh-area organizer for the progressive political group Red, Wine and Blue, which organizes around women’s issues in suburban swing districts. Wardzinski described America First’s work as “astroturf”...