Equality California released the following statement from Executive Director Tony Hoang in response to Trump’s executive order directing the Department of Education to withhold federal funding from schools that support LGBTQ+ students:

“Donald Trump’s directive to punish schools that provide basic dignity and respect for transgender and non-binary students and censor accurate histories of racism in America is unconscionable. This is a flagrant attempt to intimidate educators, ban curriculum, and discriminate against LGBTQ+ communities and communities of color.

All students—including LGBTQ+ students—deserve to feel safe at school and be given the freedom to learn. This latest action by Donald Trump does the opposite and targets LGBTQ+ students for bullying and harassment. It also undermines one of our nation’s most fundamental freedoms—the freedom of speech—by forcing teachers to censor historically accurate curriculum just because some people disagree with it.

The administration’s assertion that teaching about the historically accurate legacy of racism in America somehow disenfranchises white people is more of the same old fearmongering and hate that the far right has used again and again. The intent of this order is to remove all  LGBTQ+ inclusive curricula from the classroom and prohibit school support for any and all forms of social transition for transgender youth, including counseling, pronoun usage, and name changes.

In California, we are proud to have a Governor, Department of Education, and Superintendent of Public Instruction who advocates for the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in the curriculum. We have worked alongside them and our legislative allies to ensure that California’s LGBTQ+ students are safe in our schools, are treated with dignity and respect, and that historically accurate books, resources, and curricula remain available.

As with Trump’s previous executive orders, this will take time to implement and will face legal challenges. We will consult with our state and national partners regarding the implications of this executive order and will continue to update our community. Equality California will not allow Donald Trump or his administration to erase our history.”

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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org