Gavin Grimm, 17, a transgender student seen at home in Gloucester, Virginia, on Aug. 21, 2016, sued the Gloucester County School Board after it prohibited him from the using the boys’ restroom at school. Must credit: Washington Post photo by Nikki Kahn
Gavin Grimm, 17, a transgender student seen at home in Gloucester, Virginia, on Aug. 21, 2016, sued the Gloucester County School Board after it prohibited him from the using the boys’ restroom at school. Must credit: Washington Post photo by Nikki Kahn Credit: Washington Post photograph

Boston — Massachusetts officials are decrying the Trump administration’s rollback of federal public school bathroom protections for transgender students.

Gov. Charlie Baker said on Thursday he was disappointed with the decision, pointing to state level protections, including a public accommodations bill he signed into law last year guaranteeing transgender people can use restrooms and locker rooms that correspond with their gender identities in Massachusetts.

“Kids are going to be protected and kids are going to be able to feel safe and secure in the communities they live in and the schools that they go to,” the Republican governor told reporters.

Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey held a news conference on Thursday with legislative leaders and families of transgender students.

Healey also pointed to protections for transgender students in Massachusetts, including guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education about creating safe and supportive school environments.

“The Trump administration’s action sends a message that discrimination against vulnerable students is acceptable,” Healey said. “My message to families in Massachusetts and across this country is simple: If the Trump administration won’t protect people’s rights, we will.”

Meanwhile, opponents of Obama’s transgender law, led by the Massachusetts Family Institute, have collected enough voter signatures to put a measure on the 2018 ballot to repeal the law.