34 US Senators Take DeVos to Task for Link to Hate Group and Failure to Protect Transgender Students

In a letter sent Tuesday to U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, 34 Democratic members of the United States Senate blasted the Amway heiress for her association with a known anti-LGBT hate group as well as her department's move to lessen civil rights enforcement for LGBT students.

"You claim to support civil rights and oppose discrimination, but your actions belie your�assurances," the senators wrote. "In testimony�before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, you attempted to distance�yourself from your family's giving to organizations such as the Family Research Council, which�promote intolerant views of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender non-conforming�Americans and others. Yet, on June 15, 2017, the Family Research Council participated in an�official event on engaging fathers in students' education at the Department."

The letter specifically drew attention to DeVos' DOE's move to rollback Obama-era directive on transgender students.

"More than a third of transgender students report being the subject of�harassment or bullying in school," the senators wrote. "Sixty percent of transgender youth report being forced to use�bathrooms inconsistent with their gender identity, and half of transgender children have�seriously contemplated suicide. Despite these shocking statistics, on February 22, 2017, the�Department withdrew joint guidance on transgender students' rights under Title IX of the�Education Amendments of 1972."

"There is no more serious responsibility of the Department than to ensure consistent, vigorous enforcement of civil rights laws and protections for all students," the letter concluded. "The Department must fulfill that responsibility and work tirelessly to promote equality, opportunity, and an environment free of discrimination for all our children."