New Yorkers rally at Stonewall for transgender rights

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Protests were held at New York's iconic Stonewall Inn and around the country Thursday over the Trump administration's axing of Obama-era federal guidelines that allowed students at public schools to use the bathroom of the gender they identify with.

Thirteen states challenged those guidelines, issued back in May, including Texas, where a federal judge imposed a nationwide hold on enforcement. Opponents of the rule, including president trump, argue it is a state by state decision and the federal government should butt out.

The White House insists it intends to protect LGBTQ rights. But on long island, activists like 18 year old transgender woman Madeline Bruni say they're worried that with this latest order those rights are beginning to chip away.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo reassured transgender public school students that New York will keep its current guidelines and will continue to allow them to use the bathroom in line with their gender identity. He called the administration's action "misguided."