The Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights (EOCR) welcomes Paul D. Castillo, Counsel and Students’ Rights Strategist at Lambda Legal, for a discussion on the law and policy impacting transgender students in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary institutions, including the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, as well as advocacy on behalf of LGBTQ students who seek equal opportunities in safe, non-discriminatory educational environments.

Castillo’s work at Lambda Legal includes marriage equality and same-sex relationships protections, employment fairness, and combatting discrimination aimed at transgender individuals, people living with HIV, and LGBTQ students. His recent work on behalf of transgender, nonbinary and other gender expansive clients include Adams v. School Board of St. Johns County, Florida, a case that secured a victory on behalf of a transgender boy who was excluded from using the boys’ restroom at his high school;  Zzyym v Pompeo, a first-of-its-kind case on behalf of a nonbinary and intersex Veteran, who was denied an accurate U.S. passport from the State Department; and Karnoski v. Trump, a case challenging the categorical exclusion of transgender servicemembers in the U.S. military.

Prior to joining Lambda Legal, Castillo enforced federal civil rights statutes for the United States Department of Education, Office or Civil Rights (OCR). He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin, and graduated cum laude from Cleveland-Marshall College of Law at Cleveland State University.  Castillo is a member of the state bars of Texas and Ohio.