A district judge has dismissed a lawsuit against an Oregon school district's trans-inclusive facilities policy, reports the Associated Press.

In December 2015, administrators at Dallas School District in Dallas, O.R., allowed Elliot Yoder, a transgender boy who was 14 at the time, to use the boys' locker room at school. The decision sparked dissent among some families in the town of 15,000 residents, who sued the district in November 2017, alleging that the new policy spurred "embarrassment, humiliation, anxiety, intimidation, fear, apprehension, and stress produced by using the restroom with students of the opposite sex."

The situation escalated, and the ACLU intervened in the legal battle earlier this year on behalf of Basic Rights Oregon, a local LGBTQ nonprofit.

After months of debate, the suit was dismissed this week by U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez, who issued a 56-page ruling affirming the rights of transgender students to use the facilities that align with their gender identity.

“We are thrilled with the judge’s decision,” Brook Shelley, board chair of Basic Rights Oregon, told the AP.

Around the country, transgender youth frequently encounter prohibitive bathroom and locker room policies at school: In Indiana, a 17-year-old trans boy is currently seeking an injunction that will allow him to use the men's bathroom despite his ongoing legal battle with his school district. But the legal victories of plaintiffs like Wisconsin's Ash Whitaker and Virginia's Gavin Grimm are inspiring hope for trans youth seeking justice and validation.