NC Invoice Orders Any Faculty Employee to ‘Instantly’ Notify Mother and father if a Youngster ‘Reveals Gender Nonconformity’

By Last updated Apr 7, 2021

Testimony Wednesday before the House Education and Labor Committee Betsy DeVos said she knew that one of her very first acts as Secretary of Education could cause great harm to transgender students, but she did it anyway.

In February 2017, Secretary DeVos announced that she would overturn guidance (and asking schools to ignore the law) created by the Obama administration to protect the civil rights of transgender students and to help schools and parents do so to understand best practices related to their needs.

“We know that transgender students are often bullied and harassed,” US Representative Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) told Sec. DeVos. “We also know that the 2016 school guidelines on transgender students were welcomed by education professionals, health professionals, educators, counselors, pediatricians and psychologists – because they made students safer in school,” said Bonamici.

“When you took back this guide, did you know that the stress of harassment and discrimination can lead to lower participation and lower grades, as well as depression and anxiety in transgender students?”

DeVos stonewalled, claiming the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is “committed to ensuring that all students have equal access to education without discrimination,” which has been proven to be false.

Relatives: First Betsy Devos came for transgender students, then for the disabled, now she is targeting minority children

“I know that,” DeVos finally replied when he was pressed.

“Let me ask that too,” Rep. Bonamici continued, obviously not satisfied that DeVos got the news.

“When you reset the guide, did you know that a recent study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics revealed alarming suicide rates among transgender students? Did you know that when you reset the guide? “

Secretary DeVos only replied, “I am aware of these dates.”

Watch their exchange:

. @ RepBonamici: “When you took back the instructions, did you know that the stress of harassment and discrimination can lead to lower participation, lower grades and depression among transgender students?”

Secretary @BetsyDeVosED: “I know that.” pic.twitter.com/nEMvk2sFUQ

– CSPAN (@cspan) April 10, 2019

This study, Secretary DeVos, appeared unfazed by the finding that overall, roughly one in seven (14%) “of adolescents reported a previous suicide attempt”.

That alone is breathtaking.

But it gets worse. The study found “Gender Identity Differences in Suicide Attempts”.

Female to male adolescents reported the highest rate of suicide attempts (50.8%), followed by adolescents who identified themselves as not exclusively male or female (41.8%), male to female adolescents (29.9%) Adolescents (27.9%) and female adolescents (17.6%) and male adolescents (9.8%).

DeVos’ apparent indifference to the plight of transgender students comes just two weeks after she repeatedly defended defunding the Special Olympics in her 2019 budget. Nationwide outrage lasted days before President Trump reversed the decision.

Meanwhile, days after these historic and important guidelines were reset in 2017, DeVos appeared at a far-right conservative conference and blew the guidelines as an example of a “great overreach” by the Obama administration.

The removal of guidance for transgender students was by no means the only attack the Minister of Education has made on minority students.

Since DeVos became Minister of Education, he has taken action that directly harms LGBTQ, black and other ethnic minority students, and students with disabilities.