Protections Against Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination in Schools: The Federal Role

The goal of the series is to in- form readers about the education-related stances of the nation’s two major political parties, drawing upon the Republican and Democratic parties’ national platforms and on Project 2025. [...] She is a nationally recognized expert on gender identity and sexual orientation in schools and the author of two books: Gender, Bul- lying, and Harassment: Strategies to End Sexism and Homophobia in Schools and Gender and Sexual Diversity in Schools. [...] From a historical perspective, why has the federal government been engaged in this issue? The Federal Government got officially involved in this issue, in the realm of education, in 2010 when the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued Title IX guidance in the form of a Dear Colleague Letter that explicitly included LGBT students as entitled to protec- tion from discrimination “on the basis of sex” u. [...] What is your response to the ways in which this issue is addressed by Project 2025, the RNC national platform and the DNC national platform, based on your knowledge of the research in this area? The ways the RNC and Project 2025 frame their approach to gender and sexuality diversity goes against what has been well-established in the research literature. [...] I am strongly in favor of expanding support for the OCR and giving the 2024 version of the Title IX rules a chance of being implemented and promoting more inclusive practices at schools around the country.