Dept. of Education Rescinds Title IX Protections for LGBTQ+ Students & Survivors
MEDIA CONTACT Celina Fernando , communications@gsanetwork.org
J. Gia Loving, Co-Executive Director of Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network is available for interviews upon request, please email communications@gsanetwork.org
In response to the Department of Education rolling back Title IX protections for LGBTQ+ students and survivors, the Genders & Sexualities Alliance Network has released the following statement:
The Trump administration continues to use the “protection of girls’ sports” as a vehicle to attack LGBTQ+ people, specifically trans youth. What we are experiencing is a manufactured trans panic fueled by the false premise that trans athletes and students pose a threat to their peers simply by participating in public life. This is part of a coordinated effort to push trans people out of society by undermining their ability to safely navigate schools and public accommodations.
These Title IX rollbacks make all students less safe by eliminating safeguards that give survivors avenues for recourse and accountability when they experience discrimination or harm. This rescission disregards the needs and years-long advocacy of survivors, LGBTQ+ youth, pregnant and parenting youth, and the communities rallying behind them; diminishing their rights to meaningful accommodations and protections in their schools.
This decision should propel us all to gather, leverage our political power and organize our communities against a growing culture of sexual violence, individualism and anti-trans vitriol. When our schools are under attack, we must adapt and cultivate spaces of belonging that prioritize collective care, provide alternative accommodations, and afford all youth the right to exist authentically and safely. Regardless of ongoing onslaughts from this administration, we must act to enshrine students’ rights to organize on their campuses, build healthy communities, and self-determine their futures.
To start a GSA, get support organizing in your school or registering an existing club go to https://www.gsanetwork.org/gsa-enrollment or email info@gsanetwork.org.
If you or someone you know needs mental health resources or support, visit:
Trans Lifeline at (877) 565-8860 or https://www.translifeline.org
Trevor Project at 866-488-7386 or https://www.thetrevorproject.org/
