Former Trump administration official Stephen Miller’s legal group on Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the Fairfax County School District over its policies for transgender and nonbinary students.

America First Legal in a press release notes it filed the lawsuit against the school district on behalf of a female, “practicing Roman Catholic” student “for allowing teenage boys to use the female restrooms and for forcing a radical, government-sponsored gender indoctrination and approved-speech scheme that discriminates against students on the basis of sex and religion and violates their free speech rights under the Virginia Constitution.”

The lawsuit was filed in Fairfax County Circuit Court.

The Virginia Department of Education last July announced new guidelines for trans and nonbinary students for which Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin asked. Equality Virginia and other advocacy groups claim they, among other things, would forcibly out trans and nonbinary students. 

Fairfax County schools are among the school districts that have refused to implement the guidelines. 

“Fairfax County Public Schools appears to believe that its policies and regulations can override the Virginia Constitution’s protections for religious beliefs, speech and from government discrimination on the basis of sex and religious beliefs,” said America First legal Senior Advisor Ian Prior in a press release. “It is well past time for FCPS to stop sacrificing the constitutional rights of its students so that it can implement a state-sanctioned ideology that demands compliance in speech, beliefs and conduct.” 

FCPS Pride, a group that represents the Fairfax County School District’s LGBTQ employees, described the lawsuit as “abhorrent.”

“We are confident that the school board and the superintendent will strongly and firmly oppose this specious suit and continue to support all students, including transgender and gender expansive students,” said the group in a press list.

The Philadelphia Gay News originally published this article and the Washington Blade republished it with permission.

BY LAUREN ROWELLO | Video footage uploaded to Facebook shows an altercation between a state trooper and two prominent Philadelphia LGBTQ+ leaders. Celena Morrison, executive director of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs, was pulled over by a state trooper on the Vine Street Expressway on the morning of March 2 and later detained by police.

Morrison’s sister told PGN that Morrison was pulled over “for not having their lights on while tailgating,” which a video of the encounter that Morrison recorded confirms. Darius McClean, Morrison’s husband and acting COO of William Way LGBT Community Center, was present during the incident and was also detained.

“My sister started recording when the officer became aggressive,” said Morrison’s sister, who uploaded the video to her Facebook. It shows a portion of the traffic stop encounter. It is unclear what occurred before Morrison started recording. Morrison’s sister said that McLean was following his wife’s car in a separate vehicle at the time of the stop and pulled over behind her during the traffic stop.

Morrison told her sister the officer “pulled him out of the car” then Morrison got out of her own vehicle to explain that McLean is her husband. 

“She started recording when the officer pulled his taser,” Morrison’s sister explained.

In the video, which is described in greater detail below, Morrison accuses the officer of punching her and drawing his gun on her. In the video, the officer says that both McLean and Morrison are “under arrest for resisting.”

Philadelphia Police confirmed that Morrison and McLean were taken to Philadelphia Police Headquarters at 400 N. Broad St. Morrison’s sister says the pair was processed, charged with disorderly conduct, and detained until approximately 9 p.m. on March 2.

“My concern is over her safety since she is transgender,” Morrison’s sister told PGN. She is especially concerned with “the way the police officer charged at her for recording,” which can be seen on the footage. One commenter replied to the video on Facebook, “This is OUTRAGEOUS. This has to go straight to the governor’s office.”

What the video shows

The video begins with Morrison repeatedly stating, “That’s my husband,” to the officer who is seen kneeling on McLean’s back as McLean lays on the asphalt in fetal position in the rain. The officer tells him to put his hands behind his back. McLean says, “I don’t know why you’re doing this,” then frantically attempts to reassure Morrison by telling her, “It’s OK. It’s OK.”

Morrison repeatedly states to the officer, “I work for the mayor!” McLean appears to attempt to shield his face with one arm in fear as the officer cuffs his other hand. The officer hits McLean’s hand with a closed fist before pointing to Morrison. The officer yells, “Stay the fuck back!” while moving McLean’s hands to his back to finish cuffing.

McLean pleads for the officer to stop then says, “It’s because I’m Black.” The officer appears to respond, saying, “It’s not because you’re Black. It’s because you rolled up on me.”

The officer then lets go of McLean and approaches Morrison, saying, “Turn around,” before lunging toward Morrison with a grabbing motion. The camera is jostled at this time and points at the sky for the remainder of the footage. The officer yells, “Give me your hands or you’re getting tased!” while Morrison and McLean can be heard calling out in distress.

The officer says, “Stay right there!” to which McLean replies, “I am! I can’t go anywhere!” before trying to reassure Morrison again by saying, “Celena, it’s OK baby.” Morrison says she doesn’t know why this is happening and repeatedly states that they’ve done nothing wrong.

She then says, “He just punched me. He just punched me.” The officer appears to stand over McLean and Morrison as Morrison asks what’s going on and McLean cries out for help. The officer calls to dispatch that he has two people detained. 

McLean says to the officer calmly, “I’m just getting my glasses.” The officer screams in reply, “Leave that right there!”

McLean says more frantically, “I just need my glasses,” and the officer shouts, “Don’t reach for anything!” Morrison reassures McLean, “Just be still.”

The officer says, “Stay right there! You move, you’re getting taken down.”

McLean is prompted to stand but says he can’t. Morrison says she’ll call the mayor’s office once this is over. When she stands, she asks the officer to pick up her phone. The officer says loudly, “This was a simple traffic stop because you didn’t have your lights on — you didn’t have your lights on and you were tailgating.”

McLean attempts to defend himself, “I wasn’t tailgating!” and the officer repeats, “Simple traffic stop,” to Morrison. The officer appears to tell McLean, “And I don’t know who you are, so I don’t need you rolling up on me.”

“You were about to tase me. You pulled your gun on me,” Morrison says. “Because you were fighting with me,” says the officer, which Morrison is heard denying. The officer says that both McLean and Morrison are “under arrest for resisting.”

A response from Philadelphia and national leaders

Mayor Cherelle Parker released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, that reads:
“​​Earlier today, a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper executed a car stop on the Vine Street Expressway in Philadelphia, reportedly for a Motor Vehicle Code violation. Celena Morrison, the City’s executive director of the Office of LGBT Affairs, was in the vehicle that was stopped.
A video circulating on social media that depicts a portion of the incident is very concerning to me, and I will have no further comment until the investigation has been completed.”

State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta addressed the incident in his speech at the Human Rights Campaign Greater Philadelphia dinner on Saturday evening. He emphasized the need for a thorough investigation.

Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign — a national organization that advocates on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community — also underlined the need for a thorough investigation, underlining to PGN that important details often get missed in these kinds of situations. She retweeted the mayor, calling the incident “disturbing.”

In her speech, she said, “When Philadelphia’s very own executive director of the Office of LGBTQ Affairs, Celena Morrison, cannot even ride around the streets of Philadelphia without being harassed by law enforcement, we are in a state of emergency.”

Tyrell Brown, executive director of galaei, accepted an award on behalf of the organization they lead and informed the crowd during their speech that Morrison and McLean had just been released from police custody.

Brown told PGN that leaders from across the LGBTQ+ community and allies were working to “ensure that there is transparency and safety for these two very valued community members.”

They said that this situation demonstrates that an official title will not protect people from mistreatment — but that all people within the queer community need and deserve access to safety and support mechanisms without any barriers.

“The seconds that we miss could be the determination between life and death,” they said, highlighting the importance of working together to ensure that all members of the queer community can access resources that help promote safety and equity — “the same kind of decency and the same kind of reverence and respect that any other community deserves and has afforded to them.”

The Pennsylvania State Police did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Philadelphia Police Department directed PGN to their public affairs office, which did not appear to be open on March 2. An officer told PGN, “I have no comment at this time.”

This is a developing story.

First lady Jill Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday hosted the 18th annual International Women of Courage Awards ceremony at the White House.

A State Department press release notes the IWOC Award “recognizes women from around the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equity and equality and the empowerment of women and girls, in all their diversity — often at great personal risk and sacrifice.”

The State Department since March 2007 has honored more than 190 women from 90 countries with the IWOC Award.

The process involves U.S. diplomatic missions overseas nominating a potential honoree from their respective host countries. Senior State Department officials who represent a diverse range of backgrounds and causes then select and approve the finalists.

Honorees after the IWOC ceremony will then participate in the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program with additional programming in Los Angeles. Two of this year’s honorees — Volha Harbunova from Belarus and Myintzu Win from Myanmar — promote LGBTQ rights in their respective countries. Their bios that the State Department provided are below.

Volha Harbunova

Volha Harbunova, a Belarusian human rights defender, stands out among the 2024 IWOC awardees for her unwavering dedication to advocating for the rights of women, children, the LGBTQI+ community and other marginalized groups in Belarus. Her courage became evident in the wake of the fraudulent 2020 elections in Belarus when she organized women’s marches. Subsequently imprisoned by the Lukashenka regime, Ms. Harbunova endured psychological torture and death threats for assisting abused women while incarcerated.

Upon her release, facing the specter of continued repression, Ms. Harbunova sought refuge in Lithuania. In exile, she joined the cabinet of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, the leader of the Belarusian democratic movement. Serving as the Representative for Social Issues, her mandate includes advocating for the release of political prisoners and providing support to former political prisoners and their families. Additionally, she promotes psychosocial support to the Belarusian community in exile.

As the former head of the NGO Radislava, which was ultimately shuttered by the Lukashenka regime, Ms. Harbunova spent two decades pioneering activism in support of victims of domestic violence. Her organization operated one of the only shelters for children and women in Belarus.

Myintzu Win

Myintzu Win, a veteran criminal defense lawyer from Burma, is another standout among the 2024 IWOC awardees. Her advocacy extends to marginalized communities, including women, children, the indigent, persons with disabilities and the LGBTQI+ community. Ms. Win, a tireless defender of fundamental rights, has pro bono defended over 500 clients, overcoming significant obstacles in Burma’s legal landscape.

In her previous role as a legal advisor to the International Development Law Organization, Ms. Win’s dedication extended beyond individual cases. She focused on strengthening judicial capacity and empowering legal professionals in Burma. Today, her commitment to societal equity and legal fairness continues as she leads a legal aid team founded in 2017. The team imparts legal training to law students as pro bono lawyers, promotes public legal awareness of the rule of law throughout Burma and collaborates with freelance lawyers to provide crucial legal support to those in dire need.

The recognition of Volha Harbunova and Myintzu Win with the IWOC Award underscores the global importance of their efforts in advocating for justice, equality and the empowerment of the marginalized. As they join the ranks of previous honorees, their stories serve as an inspiration for women around the world.