Grijalva Leads Lawmakers in Praising the Administration’s Leadership Protecting LGBT Individuals
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) today led 6 of his congressional colleagues – all members of the Congressional Transgender Equality Task Force within the Congressional LGBT Equality Caucus – in thanking Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Secretary of Education Dr. John B. King Jr. for their agencies’ strong leadership last week protecting the LGBT community from discrimination in schools and public facilities across the country.
“Our nation is seeing a surge in extreme rightwing legislation targeting the LGBT community for separate and unequivocally unequal treatment,” Rep. Grijalva said. “The effort is exemplified by North Carolina’s HB2, which literally enshrines discrimination into state law.
“As a former university administrator and school board member, I understand the need for all students to feel safe at school. This administration’s response to prevent HB2 and others like it from harming students is vital in achieving that end. Between the civil suit in North Carolina and the joint guidance to schools nationwide, the Obama Administration is sending a clear signal that blatant discrimination will not be tolerated. Schools should implement this guidance immediately and ensure every student can focus on learning.
“Public officials like North Carolina’s Governor McCrory took an oath to serve ALL of the people of his state. He should repeal this law before its harm to the state economy, reputation, and even federal funding hurt the very people he vowed to protect.”
The letter praises DOJ’s decision to file a civil rights complaint in North Carolina over the General Assembly’s Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (HB2) as “a bold step to ensure hatred is not legitimized by the word of law.” It also praises the Departments of Education and Justice’s joint guidance to schools across the country regarding bathroom access to transgender students to uphold “the expectation that every child in every school is treated with the same level of respect and dignity.”
“The leadership of Attorney General Lynch and Secretary King should not go unnoticed,” Rep. Mike Honda, Chair of the Congressional Transgender Equality Taskforce said. “Their actions to protect transgender people were bold, necessary, and historic. I am pleased to join so many of my colleagues in support of President Obama’s administration and their fight against discrimination across our nation.”
The full text of the lawmakers’ letter is available here.
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