(Washington, D.C.) — The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that it will extend Title IX protections to transgender students, stating that discrimination against gay and transgender students is prohibited under the law. A year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that civil rights protections against discrimination in the workplace extend to gay and transgender people, and the Department of Education has interpreted this to mean those protections can also be applied to students.
The following is a statement from David Hinojosa, director of the Educational Opportunities Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law:
“Right now, we are watching legislators in states across our country attack efforts to promote the acceptance of transgender students, and other members of the LGBTQ+ community. This announcement today by the Department of Education makes one thing clear – our federal government will not stand for these mal-informed tactics and has made diversity, inclusion and human decency a top priority.
“Anti-genderism efforts threaten to restrict civic engagement and impair critical thought in classrooms. As our nation becomes increasingly diverse and our youth confront the role systemic discrimination has played in our society, we welcome this news. Our students must know that we have a government that is looking to lift them up, not divide and suppress.”
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About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee), a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of voting rights, criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and hate crimes. For more information, please visit https://lawyerscommittee.org.
