Sarah Kate Ellis, President and CEO of GLAAD, released the following statement after the Trump Administration announced it would rescind federal guidance recommending equal treatment of transgender students in public schools under Title IX.

“Transgender youth face extremely high rates of discrimination and bullying. By rescinding the Department of Education guidance recommending trans students be treated equally under Title IX, the administration is sending an alarming message that it will no longer defend their rights. While this action does not and cannot take away any rights trans students currently have, it undermines the progress we have made towards equality and acceptance.”

BACKGROUND: Department of Justice & Department of Education’s Anti-LGBTQ Record

Department of Justice Already Opposes Equality for Transgender Students

Justice Department no longer fighting injunction on transgender school guidance. “The Justice Department on Friday signaled it stopped fighting to overturn a national injunction blocking the federal government from giving guidance to schools and transgender students, another sign President Donald Trump’s administration is taking a different approach than former President Barack Obama’s…But on Friday night the Justice Department and the states filed a joint notice saying both sides moved to cancel the hearing. “The parties are currently considering how to best proceed in this appeal,” the motion said.” [CNN, 2.11.17]
 

SCOTUS case “Gloucester County School Board v G.G.” will clarify transgender protections under Title IX

Why Laverne Cox told you to Google ‘Gavin Grimm’ “Grimm sued the Gloucester County School Board in 2015 in federal court, arguing that the board’s policy barring him from the boys’ bathroom violated Title IX, the federal law against sex discrimination in schools. The case is now headed for the Supreme Court, with oral arguments scheduled for late March, and the case could impact how public schools accommodate transgender students across the nation….The case is partially based on a directive issued by the Education Department under the Obama administration in May, directing the nation’s public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity.” NOTE: the case is scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court on March 28, 2017.

[The Washington Post]
 

Department of Education’s Betsy DeVos and Her Anti-LGBTQ Record

DeVos sat on the board of the anti-LGBTQ Acton Institute from 1995–2005. [Huffington Post, 11.24.16]

DeVos Family Has Donated to Numerous Anti-LGBTQ Organizations which Support “Conversation Therapy” and Anti-LGBTQ Adoption Agencies. The DeVos family has funded anti-LGBTQ organizations ranging from Focus on the Family, which openly advocates for so-called “conversion therapy,” to Bethany Christian Services, an adoption agency that excludes LGBTQ parents and advocates for laws that allow them to do so, and the Heritage Foundation, which strategizes against LGBTQ policy. [Political Research Associates, 12.22.15]

DeVos’s Father Founded the Family Research Council, a hate group designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center. [Newsweek, 10.13.07]
 

DeVos on Marriage Equality

In 2004, DeVos Advocated and Funded Efforts to Ban Same-Sex Marriage in Michigan. “In 2004 Betsy and Dick DeVos led the effort to put the anti-marriage amendment on the ballot and contributed over $200,000 to the campaign to enshine discrimination into the Michigan constitution.” [Pride Source, 1.10.13]

DeVos Said Marriage Equality was Driven by “Coastal Elites.” “There is one party that takes millions of dollars from celebrities and elites and in turn enthusiastically embraces their values, that chuckles at or cheers the destruction of our traditions and the coarsening of our culture, and that believes it is no big deal to redefine the most fundamental institution of mankind. But fortunately, there is another party in America that recognizes marriage between one man and one woman as an institution that was created not by man, but by God. That party will not be intimidated by the coastal elites in Hollywood or Boston. That party is not ashamed to stand up for marriage.” [Michigan GOP State Convention, 2.6.05]

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The GLAAD Global Voices journey to Australia kicked off with a series of meetings and trainings to equip Melbourne’s LGBTIQ leaders to advance acceptance and support for LGBTIQ people and laws that protect them. Ray Bradford, GLAAD’s Director of Entertainment Media, and Ross Murray, Director of Programs, Global and US South, have been listening to advocates talk about the issues facing LGBTIQ Australians, and in turn building an alliance between the various organizations in Australia and GLAAD.

One of the main pillars of GLAAD’s activity in Australia was a training with 20 LGBTIQ leaders in Melbourne, representing LGBTIQ advocacy in law, education, racial justice, business, labor, sports, immigration, refugees, transgender people, and politics. Attendees shared stories of successes and challenges, both in the state of Victoria and in the Australian Commonwealth overall.

GLAAD discussed our programs and talked about how we work with the media to advance a worldview of LGBTIQ acceptance. Ray and Ross presented data from GLAAD’s Accelerating Acceptance reports, outlined the import on LGBTIQ lives of fair, accurate and inclusive images and content in entertainment media, and provided best practices for pitching stories to the media, training spokespeople, and collaborating with other organizations to accelerate acceptance and equality.

The training was organized by The Equality Project, an emerging organization to foster collaboration among the various LGBTIQ organizations in Australia. The Equality Project founder, Jason Tuazon-McCheyne has been a major host to GLAAD while in Melbourne, helping connect GLAAD’s expertise in media advocacy with the on-the-ground leaders addressing various aspects related to Australia’s LGBTIQ community.

Outside of the training, GLAAD met with Tim Wilson, a Member of Parliament and a former Human Rights Commissioner. GLAAD had consulted with Wilson last year, in anticipation of a possible public plebiscite, or referendum, on marriage equality. The plebiscite did not materialize, and Australia continues working toward marriage equality.

GLAAD also met with leaders of Bisexual Alliance Victoria and Transgender Victoria, two organizations that work closely for visibility and protection of bisexual and transgender people in the state. They discussed the need for medical care that treats bi and trans patients with respect, the adverse impact of erasure within the overall community, as well as representation in the media. They were interested to adapt GLAAD’s resources to help advance their work in Australia.

The Melbourne portion of the GLAAD Global Voices continues with an interview at JOY 94.9, Australia’s national LGBTIQ radio station, as well as a public panel alongside Australian LGBTIQ leaders. From there, GLAAD will head to Sydney to present at the Mardi Gras Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, participating in public forums, on-stage panels, roundtable discussions, and one-on-one meetings with content creators and industry leaders to create more fair, accurate, and inclusive LGBTIQ representation.