DeVos Decrypted: What Last Week’s Education Announcement Means for Trans Students
Last Thursday, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos gave a speech at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School announcing a change to the Department of Education’s stance on school responses to sexual violence. As she spoke, groups including NCTE and End Rape on Campus protested outside.
The Secretary’s speech came after she and other Trump administration officials held weeks of conversations with extreme “men’s rights activists” and college administrators. Officials also held a token meeting with student survivors of campus sexual violence, and with organizations that advocate for them — including NCTE. At that meeting, NCTE joined survivors, including LGBTQ survivors, in urging Secretary DeVos to go on a national listening tour to hear from survivors of campus sexual assault and truly understand what they need — an invitation she has apparently declined.
