Gavin Grimm, a 25-year-old trans man who made headlines after suing a Virginia school district over transphobic bathroom policies, is now battling mental health issues, poverty, and impending homelessness. According to guardian
Grimm sued the school district after the Gloucester County Board of Education passed a resolution barring the 15-year-old from using the boys’ restroom, even though he had been using it for months without incident. After years of litigation, we finally won a landmark federal ruling affirming our constitutional right to protection from education discrimination.
Related:
However, although the school district ultimately settled Grimm’s lawsuit for $1.3 million in legal fees and other legal costs, the settlement did not provide Grimm with stable housing or financial security. He received only $1 as a symbolic share of the settlement.
never miss a beat
Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know about the latest LGBTQ+ politics news and insights.
To settle for personal damages, Mr. Grimm would have had to give the school district’s lawyers access to medical records showing the impact of the school’s discrimination on his health. After years of legal battles, he also didn’t want to put up a fight.
As his court victories increased, Grimm’s notoriety grew. Trans actress Laverne Cox told people to Google Grimm at the Grammys, and Whoopi Goldberg interviewed Grimm on her show. The Viewin 2017, he served as Grand Marshal of the New York City Pride Parade. However, he has not been invited to make any paid appearances as the focus of the LGBTQ+ community has shifted elsewhere.
“I’m a world-renowned person. I represent an outer shell of privilege that most people never see, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t make ends meet.” he said. guardian. He is one of 8% of unsheltered trans adults in the last year
Grimm currently suffers from autism, which affects sensory processing, as well as complex post-traumatic stress disorder and stress-induced seizures. In May 2021, he was in a coma for four days after a massive stroke that severely impaired his ability to work and drive. Despite financial support from generous benefactors, these factors combined to make it impossible for him to continue working or complete his higher education.
“The core of PTSD is feeling unsafe, not being understood, feeling rejected, and the adults around you not acting responsibly,” he says. “In high school, I was bullied and overanalyzed. I was tortured, harassed, and bullied.”
While his mother began caring for Rascal, a 19-year-old cat, Grimm began couchsurfing with friends, occasionally spending time with his mother, and spending nights at the local dog park. He avoids homeless shelters for fear of discrimination.
He’s been volunteering for a few days with a climate justice group and spending time in the garage of fellow trans man and “autistic stoner” Evan Hamilton, 66, whom he met through a local queer group. Grimm eventually wants to go back to college and become a teacher.
Grimm said he would vote Democratic in the next election as a form of “damage reduction,” but said he was discouraged by the wave of anti-trans legislation that has swept the country in the years since his case made headlines. He said he is doing so.
The Virginia Department of Education, led by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, is trying to force school districts to enforce policies that force students to use bathrooms, pronouns and names that match the gender assigned at birth. Although some state districts have refused, the policy and the hostile atmosphere it creates still threaten Virginia’s estimated 4,000 transgender students.
Grimm said he is disillusioned with mainstream liberal politicians who have so far failed to take bold action in response to the Republican onslaught of transphobic culture wars.
“This system was built specifically to ensure that the status quo continues and that people like me are disenfranchised, undervalued, and will never have full equality under the law.” says Mr. Grimm. “But I know that what I did was important. This system is not conducive to our ultimate liberation, but it is what we have in place now.”
“If you can keep the cat housed for the rest of its life, that’s all you can really hope for,” he added. “I’m ready to be homeless, but I don’t want her to be homeless.”
Subscribe LGBTQ Nation Newsletter Be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping the LGBTQ+ community around the world.
