DeVos Refuses To Protect LGBTQ Students From Discrimination
DeVos Refuses To Protect LGBTQ Students From Discrimination
- Speaking before the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education
yesterday, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos argued she could see no
situation where the federal government should step in to protect
students from discrimination in schools. Her remarks were in response to
questions from Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) focusing on a school in
Indiana that has a policy of expelling and/or denying admission
to students from any household where LGBTQ identity exists.
DeVos’ line of reasoning revolves around
the centerpiece idea she’s pushed for years: using federal funds to
support private (predominantly religious) schools.
Using Lighthouse Christian Academy in
Bloomington, Indiana as an example, Clark laid out her line of
questioning. Noting the school receives over $665,000 in state funding
(through a voucher program similar to what DeVos wants to employ on a
national basis), Clark outlined the school’s policies including one that
prohibits admission or ongoing education “if you are from a family
where there is homosexual or bisexual activity” or “practicing alternate
gender identity.”