25 young people making noise for social progress

Gavin Grimm

Gavin Grimm just wanted to use the bathroom that aligned with his gender identity. Instead, he became a hero to the transgender community.

A few years ago, when Grimm had changed his name to Gavin and started taking testosterone therapy, he decided to use the boys’ bathroom at his school in Virginia. Despite getting his principal’s permission, Grimm faced a severe backlash. He was eventually banned from the boys’ bathroom and had to use a private bathroom near the nurse’s office instead.

But Grimm wouldn’t stand for that. He and the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit in 2015, which they unfortunately lost. Grimm appealed to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and was supposed to go to the Supreme Court last year, but the Supreme Court refused to hear the case after the Trump administration rolled back the protections for trans students. The case then got sent back to lower courts.

Despite the Supreme Court refusing to hear the case, Grimm won’t stop fighting. He’s become a huge voice and activist for the trans community, and he’s sticking up for people who feel bullied or unseen based on their gender identities. He never set out to be an activist, but this has sparked something in him.

And many feel heard because of him. By not being allowed to use the bathrooms of their choice, trans kids feel embarrassed or like they’re being told they can’t exist.

In fact, Grimm became such a big name that he was named on Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2017 list.

“This process has been stressful,” Grimm previously admitted to Time. “It’s been an absolute whirlwind. I’ve had opportunities that I wouldn’t have otherwise had, which has been beautiful, and I’ve met so many amazing people, which has been wonderful. But it’s never lost on me that I’ve had these experiences because of a conversation that just should never have happened.”