BUFFALO, Minn. — A transgender student won a $218,500 dollar settlement from a Wright County school district.
Matt Woods, who attended Buffalo Community Middle School from 2015-2017, claims he was isolated from other students and had limited access to the restroom due to his gender identity.
The Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose School District has not admitted to any wrongdoing and no public tax dollars are being used to fund any monetary payment.
The non-profit legal organization, Gender Justice, helped represent Woods and claims that the school district violated the Minnesota Human Rights Act as well as the state constitution’s rights to education and equal protection.
Gender Justice attorney, Christy Hall says the settlement is a win for the transgender community.
“This brings a ray of hope, you know one of the things the settlement requires is it requires the school district to permit to play on a sports team that aligns with their gender identity," Hall said.
A number of other policies were changed because of the settlement – one of which includes that transgender students have access to restrooms and locker room facilities that align with their gender identity.
"It's a relief to have this over and I'm very happy with the outcome," said Woods during a Zoom press conference on Wednesday.