Conservative states challenge federal rule on treatment of transgender students

Republican state attorneys general are challenging a new federal regulation that mandates protections for transgender students at schools. In a lawsuit filed Monday in federal courts in Alabama, Louisiana and Texas, states argue that the recently announced rule harms girls. The states oppose provisions that bar blanket prohibitions on transgender students using the school bathrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender. They also object to provisions that call for school staff to use transgender students' pronouns. Lawyers for the states are asking to delay implementation of the rule, which is to take effect Aug. 1.