The rights coalition North Carolinians for Privacy on Wednesday dropped their case against the US Department of Justice (DOJ) [official website] challenging the federal government’s restroom access policy. The case, North Carolinians for Privacy v. United States Department of Justice [complaint, PDF] had been filed against the DOJ after the department threatened to cut off federal funding to the state and public schools unless individuals are allowed to use the bathroom according to the gender with which they identify. The case is one of several surrounding North Carolina’s law that requires people to use the restroom according to their birth gender and limits other anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.

Privacy rights and individual rights have come into conflict lately over the issue of transgender access to restrooms. Last month a judge for the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas temporarily blocked [JURIST report] federal guidelines that allowed transgender students to use the bathroom according to the gender with which they identify. Also in August the US Supreme Court granted [JURIST report] an application to recall and stay lower court orders allowing a transgender student who identities as a male to use the men’s restroom in school. In May, officials in 11 states filed a lawsuit in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas challenging the Obama administration’s [JURIST report] recent guidance letter on transgender students.