DOJ sues Virginia school board after Christian students suspended over gender policy

The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit accusing a Virginia school board of violating the constitutional rights of two Christian students by enforcing a gender identity policy that officials said punished them for their religious beliefs.

The Loudoun County School Board suspended two boys from Stone Bridge High School for 10 days after they reported an incident in the boys’ locker room, according to the DOJ. A female student allegedly entered the locker room and made audio and video recordings of the boys inside.

Several boys reported the incident, including the two Christian students whose religious beliefs require them to use biologically accurate pronouns and separate genders, the lawsuit says.

Loudoun County reportedly enforces its 8040 policy — a gender identity rule that the DOJ says requires students and staff to “accept and promote gender ideology,” regardless of their religious beliefs.

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The Loudoun County School Board allegedly “trampled” on boys’ constitutional rights by enforcing its Policy 8040, a gender identity rule that the Department of Justice says requires students and staff to “accept and promote gender ideology” regardless of their religious beliefs. (iStock)

“Plaintiffs were faced with a choice: violate their conscience or remain true to their beliefs,” the lawsuit claims.

The two Christian boys were suspended for 10 days and ordered to submit to a “comprehensive student support plan,” the DOJ said. (iStock)

School officials determined that the two boys had committed “gender discrimination” and “sexual harassment,” according to the complaint. As punishment, the DOJ says the district suspended them for 10 days and ordered them to submit to a “comprehensive student support plan.”

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The Justice Department claims the school board violated the boys’ rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

The DOJ filed a lawsuit Monday against the Loudoun County School Board for its denial of equal protection based on religion. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images, file)

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“Students do not lose their First Amendment rights at the school gate,” said Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division. “Loudoun County’s decision to advance and promote gender ideology tramples on the rights of religious students who cannot embrace ideas that deny biological reality.”

The Loudoun County School Board did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.