GLSEN Condemns House Republicans for Advancing the Reversal of Vital Title IX Protections for LGBTQ+ Students

Washington DC (July 11, 2024) GLSEN, the leading education organization dedicated to creating safe and inclusive K-12 schools and learning environments for LGBTQ+ youth, condemns House Republicans' passage of the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The resolution reverses the Biden Administration's crucial Title IX changes that clarified and expanded protections for LGBTQ+ students. The CRA strips the Education Department of its power to protect LGBTQ+ youth from discrimination in school.

GLSEN's Executive Director Melanie Willingham-Jaggers (they/she) provided the following statement in response to the changes:

"In their relentless campaign to push LGBTQ+ children back into the closet, House Republicans have passed another futile bill that would erase civil rights protections and tie the hands of federal enforcement agencies charged with ensuring safe schools. If the Congressional Review Act resolution becomes law, essential updates to Title IX will be undone, leaving LGBTQ+ youth without vital protections against bullying, harassment, and assault. GLSEN stands with the broad coalition of students, educators, parents, mental health professionals, and community members who want to ensure that schools are safe and secure learning environments, free from harassment and discrimination. It's deeply troubling that so many members of Congress would stand in the way of federal actions that could help communities across the country reach that goal, and we look to the Senate to prevent such a regressive resolution from advancing any further."

ABOUT GLSEN

GLSEN, the nation's largest advocate for LGBTQ+ issues in K-12 education, has been dedicated to establishing inclusive schools and learning environments for over 34 years. Amidst increasing threats against LGBTQ+ youth nationwide, GLSEN actively addresses harassment and discrimination by empowering educators, advocating for policy changes, and combating book bans through its Rainbow Library Program, which provides LGBTQ+ affirming literature to over 6 million students across 30 states.