“Secretary DeVos’s egregious failure to protect transgender public school students from discrimination, bullying and harassment is not just a dereliction of her duty to enforce federal civil rights laws, but part of a larger campaign by the Trump-Pence Administration to dehumanize transgender Americans. Time and again, Ms. DeVos has chosen to put her own political agenda ahead of the needs of the nation’s most vulnerable students. It is time for Ms. DeVos to take seriously the oath she took to serve all students — including those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender — and to ensure that every child has the opportunity to learn in an environment free of discrimination and harassment.”
Last year, Secretary DeVos and U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded Obama Era federal guidance outlining how transgender students are protected from discrimination under Title IX requirements, which forbid federally funded schools from discriminating on the basis of sex. But while the U.S. Department of Education has failed to protect LGBTQ students, California has continued to lead. On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced Assemblymember Thurmond’s AB 2153, sponsored by Equality California, to provide teachers and school staff with the training they need to support LGBTQ students.
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
