WATCH: Sean Spicer Repeatedly Gives Bad Answers as Reporters Keep Asking About Transgender Guidance Being Revoked

Press Secretary Says Revoking the Obama Letter Does Not Mean the Trump Administration Is Sending a Message to Transgender Students

As the nation grows increasingly outraged that the Trump administration Wednesday night revoked Obama-era guidance on protecting transgender students, White House Press Secretary faced multiple questions about the decision from reporters Thursday afternoon.

Spicer repeated his statement that President Donald Trump believes transgender rights, and specifically which restroom transgender students should be able to use, is a “states’ rights” issue. 

That’s of course, false – civil rights are always federal. The right to due process does not exist only in eastern states, the right to marry does not exist only in western states.

Spicer pointed to a Texas court that stopped what Spicer called “implementation” of the Obama guidance, and claimed procedures weren’t followed. He suggested prior public comment was required for a “Dear Colleague” letter to school districts.

Despite several court rulings that support using Title IX to protect transgender students, Spicer only would point to the Texas ruling. He wrongly claimed that because the court stopped the Obama guidance from being followed, sending a new letter saying they were revoking the Obama guidance was not reversing it, which is false. 

Spicer laughably also insisted that by revoking the Obama letter the Trump administration is not sending a message to transgender students. Clearly Spicer has never been a minority student.

The press secretary then went on to claim that the “message shows that he’s a guy with a heart,” because he last year had said Caitlyn Jenner was welcome to use any restroom at Trump Tower.

And then this:

“The law right now doesn’t allow for it under Title IX that was passed in 1972,” – meaning using Title IX to show that transgender children should be able to use the restroom that corresponds with their gender identity.

But Spicer is incorrect on that, as courts have ruled.

He went on to state that “it’s a states’ rights issue and the states should enact laws that reflect the values, principles,  and will of the people in their state. Very simple,” Spicer insisted, subjecting transgender children to the “values” of the people in their state.

Spicer has a strong misconception that if something could not have been “contemplated” at the time a law was passed, that law cannot possibly cover that issue. That’s his argument for saying, wrongly, that Title IX cannot protect transgender students. And it’s false.

Take a look:

Here Spicer talked about “children who are struggling” with being transgender:

And take a look at Spicer stumbling in these clips:

Some responses via Twitter:

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