Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, the Biden administration announced that the U.S. Department of Education had reversed the previous administration’s attack on transgender students by ensuring that Title IX protections will cover all students on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in compliance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County last year.
Wednesday’s announcement upholds President Joe Biden’s campaign pledge to undo his predecessor’s agenda of bigotry directed at the LGBTQ community. But the relatively limited real-world impact of the announcement also underscores the continued importance of legislation such as the Equality Act, which would protect the rights and dignity of all LGBTQ people from the whims of hateful and corrupt presidents. In response to the Title IX decision, Sharita Gruberg, vice president of the LGBTQ Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress, released the following statement:
Today’s announcement by the Department of Education tells all students, including LGBTQ students, that their government will ensure they have the opportunity to learn free from discrimination.
This is a significant change from the previous administration’s abandonment of the rights of LGBTQ students and support for discrimination. In fact, a CAP analysis found that LGBTQ students’ complaints were nine times less likely to result in corrective action under the Trump administration than under the Obama administration.
We are heartened to hear that this cruel neglect of our nation’s LGBTQ students has ended, but LGBTQ students still need the U.S. Senate to pass the Equality Act and ensure their protections are not simply ignored by a future administration.
For more information on Title IX protections for LGBTQ students or to speak with an expert, please contact Adam Peck at [email protected].