Trump rolls back Obama-era protections for transgender students

Sham president Donald Trump’s sham government on Wednesday rolled back federal protections for transgender students who don’t want to be harassed, sexually assaulted, or physically attacked when they go to a public school bathroom that matches their gender identity, instead of the conflicting gender definition others try to force upon them.

Because of this bullshit legal moved conceived in hate and justified by lies, more trans children will probably be attacked when they’re just trying to go to school and be left alone. More trans kids will probably kill themselves. This is about hate. That’s all it is. This is disgusting and amoral, and has nothing to do with protecting children.

This was an expected move from Trump and his new Un-Education Czar Betsy Devos, who don’t give a shit about LGBT rights or any other form of human rights.

This is the beginning. Not the end. This is going to be a long fight, and we’re going to lose a lot, and we owe it to those kids who can’t fight to fight.

From the Washington Post:

Officials with the federal Education and Justice departments notified the U.S. Supreme Court that it was ordering the nation’s schools to disregard memos the Obama administration issued during the past two years that said prohibiting transgender students from using facilities that align with their gender identity violates federal anti-discrimination laws.

The two-page “dear colleague” letter included in a Supreme Court filing late Wednesday does not offer schools any new guidance, instead saying that the earlier directive needed to be withdrawn because it lacked extensive legal analysis, did not go through a public vetting process and sowed confusion and legal challenges. The administration said that it would not rely on the prior interpretation of the law going forward.

The departments wrote that the Trump administration wants to “further and more completely consider the legal issues involved,” and said that there must be “due regard for the primary role of the States and local school districts in establishing educational policy.” Though it offered no clarity or direction to schools that have transgender students, the letter added that “schools must ensure that all students, including LGBT students, are able to learn and thrive in a safe environment.”

The decision — delayed in part because the new secretaries of the two departments hit stalemates regarding timing and specific language — drew immediate condemnation from gay and transgender rights advocates, who accused President Trump of violating past promises to support gay and transgender protections. Advocates said the withdrawal of the federal guidance will create another layer of confusion for schools and will leave transgender students, who are already vulnerable, even more so.

“Attacking our children … is no way to say you support and respect LGBTQ people,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

IMAGE: Donald Trump and his pick for Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos on Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2016. | Photo: Reuters