STATEMENT: Weakened Title IX Rules Put Students at Risk, Leave LGBTQ+ Youth Defenseless Against Discrimination

February 5. 2025

For Immediate Release
Feb 5, 2025

Media Contact
Nazirah Ahmad
[email protected]

Statement from Noreen Farrell, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates, on Department of Education’s dismantling of sexual assault protections and LGBTQ+ student rights

Feb. 3, 2025  – The Trump Administration’s dismantling of Title IX protections is yet another blow for civil rights, putting a target on the backs of our most vulnerable students. While these changes are unsurprising from an administration determined to remake the government in the image of a predator, they are not based in the law.

By reverting to their 2020 rules, which created significant barriers for survivors reporting sexual assault and civil rights abuses, and refusing to protect LGBTQ+ students from harassment, the Dept. of Education is sending a clear message that predatory behavior will be tolerated and even encouraged in our schools under this administration.

We’ve seen this playbook before. During Trump’s first term, his Department of Education systematically dismantled civil rights protections. Now they’re doubling down — not only making it harder to address sexual assault at schools, but explicitly refusing to even process harassment complaints from transgender and nonbinary students. This puts a target directly on the backs of our LGBTQ+ youth.

These changes mean schools will have more latitude to sweep violence under the rug; and transgender and gender nonconforming students facing discrimination and harassment will be told their complaints won’t even be processed by the U.S. Department of Education. While states and schools can still address this discrimination through their own policies and procedures, this rollback of federal protections presents an urgent call to action for states, schools, and advocates everywhere to strengthen and expand their own anti-discrimination efforts. The absence of federal enforcement makes state and local protections more critical than ever in ensuring all students can learn in supportive environments free from discrimination and harassment.

Equal Rights Advocates has spent 50 years fighting for students’ right to learn in safety. We’ve seen firsthand that strong Title IX protections make our schools safer. We call on schools to maintain strong protections for all students in their own policies, regardless of this guidance.

The Department of Education cannot force you to harm your students – don’t fall for it. We stand ready to help any student facing discrimination or assault. The law remains on the side of survivors and LGBTQ+ students, even if this administration is not.

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