Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, issued the following statement in response to recent reports that the Trump administration is seeking to establish a narrow definition of sex under Title IX of Education Amendments of 1972 that would exclude transgender people – as well as excluding non-binary, gender-fluid, ace, and other people from important civil rights protections that prevent discrimination on the basis of sex.
“This proposal by the Trump administration is a cruel attack on millions of individuals who are already fighting for the right to live their lives with dignity and respect.
This proposal is made all the more brutal as it comes during a time when violence targeting the transgender community is surging, in particular the targeting of trans women of color. We should be coming together to address the violence and discrimination targeting this community, as opposed to attempting to erase them and remove federal protections.
The Lawyers’ Committee stands with the transgender community and all who have experienced civil rights rollbacks at the hands of the Trump Administration. We condemn the administration’s politically motivated attacks against transgender people, including transgender people of color and attempts to eviscerate their legal protections in education, health care, and housing as hateful and extremist policies.
As an organization that works to protect civil rights, the Lawyers’ Committee sees this latest attack on transgender people as an attack on the main principles of equality and justice. These extremist policies are unacceptable and must not become the norm in our country.”
About the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. Now in its 55th year, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is continuing its quest to “Move America Toward Justice.” The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and voting rights. Learn more at Lawyerscommittee.org.
