South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson has reassured parents that the accommodations their children receive under “Section 504” are not at risk. He emphasized, “My grandfather was wounded in World War II and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair, so there’s no way I would ever do anything to take away accommodations for anyone with a disability.”
Section 504 is designed to protect school accommodations for children with disabilities such as ADHD or diabetes. The law, as originally passed by Congress, excluded “gender identity disorders not resulting from physical impairments, or other sexual behavior disorders.”
During President Biden’s tenure, an executive order was signed to include “gender identity disorders” within Section 504. This led South Carolina to join a multi-state lawsuit spearheaded by Texas, aiming to remove this addition and revert the law to its original form. Attorney General Wilson clarified that the lawsuit aimed solely at removing the inclusion of “gender identity disorders,” without any intent to discard Section 504 entirely.
Recently, on January 20th, President Donald Trump issued an executive order reversing President Biden’s changes by removing “gender identity disorders” from Section 504. Attorney General Wilson expressed his support for this decision and stated that it addressed his concerns regarding the matter.
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