Juliet Evancho, Jackie Evancho’s Transgender Sister, Wins Lawsuit Against School Board

Jackie Evancho, the America’s Got Talent singer who sang the national anthem at Donald Trump‘s inauguration, has a transgender sister Juliet Evancho, who recently won a lawsuit against her school.

JULIET EVANCHO WINS LAWSUIT AGAINST SCHOOL BOARD

Juliet and two other students went up against their school board, and a federal judge has ruled in their favor. US District Court Judge Mark R. Hornak wrote that the three students, “appear to the Court to be young people seeking to do what young people try to do every day-go to school, obtain an education, and interact as equals with their peers.”

“The District’s enforcement of Resolution 2 as to their use of common school restrooms does not afford [the students] equal protection of the law as guaranteed to them by the Fourteenth Amendment,” the judge continued.

In September 2016, the school, Pine-Richland High School, passed a policy stating that students must use the restroom as designated by their sex on their birth certificates. Hornak followed through with an injunction that was requested by pro-LGBTQ group Lambda Legal.

“Not withstanding the Trump Administration’s misguided and cruel actions last week, the court today found that the school’s policy barring transgender students from the restroom that matches who they are violates the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution,” Lambda Legal Staff Attorney Omar Gonzalez-Pagan said. “Such policies are not only wrong, they are illegal. The rescission of a guidance by the Trump administration cannot change that.”

The ruling comes a week after Trump rolled back on the federal protections for transgender students set forth by Barack Obama. Jackie was “very disappointed” with Trump’s action, and pleaded to meet with him and her sister to discuss transgender rights.

“I’ve had things thrown at me,” explained Juliet on Good Morning America. “I’ve had people say pretty horrible things and the unsafe environment is just very unhealthy so I feel like Donald Trump needs to know that being in such an unsafe environment won’t do any good not only for the transgenders and the LGBTQ community but as well as everyone as a whole.”

“Congrats 2 my sis @J_Evancho_ for standing up 4 #trans rghts & is now #free2pee in the correct bathroom again! Thx @LambdaLegal #sisterlove,” wrote Jackie on Twitter after the ruling.