Tmp’s tn secretary pick supported anti-gay - POLITICO

Contents:

• OPENLY GAY MEMBERS OF CONGRS RAISE SER CONCERNS ABOUT BETSY DEVOS’ RERD ON LGBT EQUALY
• DO DEVOS COMMENTS ENURAGE ANTI-GAY BIAS?
• BETSY DEVOS, TMP’S EDUTN PICK, COULD MAKE LIFE HELL FOR LGBT YOUTHURGENTSENATORS MT ASK IF A SOCIALLY NSERVATIVE CSAR TENDS TO PROTECT GAY AND TRANSGENR STUNTS. LIV ARE AT STAKE.JAY MICHAELSONUPDATED APR. 11, 2017 4:10PM EDT / PUBLISHED JAN. 17, 2017 9:45AM EST PACIFIC PRS/GETTYAS BILLNAIRE PHILANTHROPIST BETSY DEVOS HEADS TO HER NFIRMATN HEARGS TO N THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUTN, MOST QUTNS WILL LIKELY BE ABOUT HER SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL VOUCHERS, CHARTER SCHOOLS, AND OTHER ALTERNATIV TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.BUT THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO ASK DEVOS ANOTHER SET OF QUTNS: WHAT WOULD SHE DO TO PROTECT THE MOST VULNERABLE STUNTS, PARTICULARLY LGBT STUNTS, OM HARASSMENT AND VLENCE? WOULD HER PARTMENT MAKE MATTERS EVEN WORSE FOR THEM?SAME-SEX MARRIAGE MAY GRAB THE HEADL, BUT TN POLICY AT ALL LEVELS OF ERNMENT OFTEN HAS MORE OF AN EFFECT ON THE DAILY LIV OF LGBT PEOPLE, BEE SPE ALL THE PROGRS RECENT YEARS, QUEER KIDS ARE STILL BEG BULLIED, AND STILL ATTEMPTG SUICI AT FOUR TIM THE RATE OF STRAIGHT KIDS.DEVOS’S STANCE ON LGBT RIGHTS IS NOT KNOWN—SHE HAS CLED TO MENT AHEAD OF THE NFIRMATN HEARGS—BUT THERE ARE, TO PUT DLY, REASONS FOR NCERN. THE DEVOS FAY HAS BEEN THE PRIMARY FUNR OF SOME OF THE MOST ANTI-LGBT ANIZATNS THE UNTRY, TO THE TUNE OF MORE THAN $200 LN. HER FATHER--LAW, RICHARD DEVOS, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MEGA-FUNRS OF THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT THE 1970S, AND HIS FOUNDATN IS NOW A FIXTURE AT THE GATHERG, THE WOODSTOCK OF CHRISTIAN RIGHT FUNRS, AND A MAJOR FUNR OF FOC ON THE FAY. THE DEVOS CENTER FOR RELIGN AND SOCIETY AT THE HERAGE FOUNDATN HAS PROMOTED A QUASI-THEOCRATIC WORLDVIEW. AND BETSY DEVOS’S FATHER, EDGAR PRCE, WAS A FOUNR OF THE FAY REARCH COUNCIL.ON THE OTHER HAND, THAT’S HER FAY—NOT HER. THE DICK AND BETSY DEVOS FOUNDATN SELF HAS LARGELY FOCED ON SCHOOL VOUCHERS AND SCHOOL CHOICE, THOUGH THEY HAVE ALSO SUPPORTED THE ACTON INSTUTE, A HARD-RIGHT “RELIG LIBERTY” ANIZATN THAT HAS TAKEN MANY ANTI-LGBT STANC. AND ONE OF HER POLIL ADVISERS, GREG MCNEILLY, IS OPENLY GAY.AS A RULT, SAYS NATHAN SMH, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY AT GLSEN, A LEADG BACKER OF ANTI-BULLYG AND OTHER PROTECTNS FOR LGBT STUNTS, “WE’RE HAVG TO READ THE TEA LEAV TERMS OF WHAT DEVOS IS GOG TO DO ON LGBT ISSU.”WE SHOULDN’T HAVE TO. SENATORS SHOULD ASK DEVOS FOUR SPECIFIC QUTNS ABOUT LGBT PEOPLE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUTN.1. THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTSFIRST: WILL YOU MATA THE MISSN OF THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS, OR WILL YOU CUT STAFF, APPOT PEOPLE HOSTILE TO S MISSN, AND SET PRRI THAT ABANDON LGBTS AND OTHER VULNERABLE POPULATNS?WH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUTN, THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS, OR OCR, IS, SMH’S WORDS, “THE CRIL OFFICE WH THE PARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT CIVIL-RIGHTS PROTECTNS ARE ENFORCED AND EQUABLE ACROSS STUNT POPULATN.” OCR TERPRETS FERAL LAWS AGAST RACE, GENR, AND OTHER FORMS OF DISCRIMATN; MOST RECENTLY, WAS HEAVILY ATTACKED BY NSERVATIV FOR RELEASG A “GUIDANCE LETTER” STATG THAT ANTI-TRANSGENR DISCRIMATN WAS A FORM OF SEX DISCRIMATN, PROHIBED UNR TLE IX.WHILE THE OCR LETTER WAS ABOUT ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMATN AND HOW TRANS PEOPLE ARE TREATED THROUGHOUT THE TNAL SYSTEM, , LIKE EVERYTHG TRANSGENR POLICS, BEME ALL ABOUT BATHROOMS. AND EVEN THOUGH EXPRSLY PERMTED THE SOLUTN ALREADY IMPLEMENTED BY HUNDREDS OF SCHOOLS—SGLE-STALL, NON-GENRED RTROOMS— BEME A FLASHPOT OF HYSTERIL NSERVATIVE EXPLOATN. BOYS THE GIRLS’ ROOM! THANKS, OBAMA!THE GUIDANCE LETTER IS ALMOST CERTALY TO BE RCD, PROBABLY IMMEDIATELY. BUT THE LARGER QUTN IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO OCR SELF. WHILE SMH DOUBTED THAT THE OFFICE WOULD BE ELIMATED ENTIRELY (“’S WOVEN TO EXISTG LAW”)—HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IS “CERTALY WH THE THORY OF THE ADMISTRATN TO APPOT POLIL APPOTE NOT IENDLY TO THE OFFICE.”BETSY DEVOS SHOULD BE ASKED ABOUT THIS DIRECTLY. HOWEVER SHE ANSWERS, ALL SENATORS WHO VOTE FOR HER N THEN BE HELD ACUNTABLE.2. ANTI-LGBT DIRECTIVSEND: WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON SEXUAL ORIENTATN AND GENR INTY, AND HOW WOULD YOUR PARTMENT CHANGE EXISTG POLICI REGARDG THEM?THE EDUTN DEPARTMENT N DO FAR MORE THAN RCD PRO-LGBT POLICI, AFTER ALL. IT N IMPLEMENT ANTI-LGBT ON.FOR EXAMPLE, WOULD BE RELATIVELY EASY FOR THE PARTMENT TO CLARE HOMOSEXUALY TO BE A “LIFTYLE CHOICE” AND BEG TRANSGENR A “MENTAL ILLNS,” THEN SET FERAL POLICI THAT “DISURAGE” BOTH. THE ULD CLU BANNG ANY SCHOOLS WH GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC OM RECEIVG FERAL FUNDS OR GRANT PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE SO-LLED NVERSN THERAPY (DEVOS FAY FOUNDATNS HAVE DONATED HEAVILY TO GROUPS PROMOTG THIS QUACKERY).OTHER EASY CHANG WOULD BE TO APPROVE THAT FAVORS THE “NATURAL FAY”—A NSERVATIVE NEOLOGISM REFERRG TO A CHILDBEARG MARRIAGE BETWEEN DOMANT MAN AND A SUBMISSIVE WOMAN—AS THE ONLY APPROPRIATE FAY NFIGURATN. FERAL PROGRAMS THAT NOW CLU DIVERSY TRAG ULD BE REORIENTED, AND EVEN SPORTS TEAMS ULD GO BACK TO EXCLUDG LGBT STUNTS OM PARTICIPATN.SMH NOTED THAT “IF THEY ISSUED THAT KD OF GUIDANCE, THERE’D BE HUGE PHBACK NOT JT OM LGBT AND CIVIL-RIGHTS GROUPS BUT ALSO ANIZATNS LIKE THE [AMERIN PSYCHLOGIL ASSOCIATN]. THE APA DISCS WHAT TRANS ISSU ARE AND HOW BT TO WORK WH TRANS PEOPLE. FOR THE FERAL ERNMENT TO ISSUE GUIDANCE DIRECT OPPOSN TO BT PRACTIC WOULD GET A LOT OF ATTENTN.”OF URSE, THAT HASN’T STOPPED NUMERO STAT OM ISSUG OTHER DIRECTIV DIRECT NTRADICTN TO BT PRACTIC, SUCH AS TEXAS’S NOW-VOID ABORTN REGULATNS. AND WOULD HARDLY BE THE ONLY TIME THE TMP ADMISTRATN FIED WILY AGREED-UPON NORMS.3. BULLYGTHIRD: ARE MONSTRATNS OF ANTI-GAY BELIEFS A FORM OF RELIG LIBERTY? DO YOU AGREE WH OTHER MEMBERS OF YOUR FAY THAT REGULATNS AGAST BULLYG ARE FORMS OF POLIL RRECTNS THAT OPPRS CHRISTIANS?BELIEVE OR NOT, BULLI HAVE THEIR OWN LOBBYISTS WASHGTON: CHRISTIAN RIGHT GROUPS THAT ARGUE BULLYG IS A FORM OF RELIG LIBERTY. A BULLY WEARG A “GOD HAT FAGS” T-SHIRT OR SHOVG BIBLE PAMPHLETS GAY STUNTS’ FAC IS, THEY SAY, THE EE EXERCISE OF RELIGN THAT OUR FOUNDG FATHERS SOUGHT TO PROTECT. THE REAL VICTIMS, THEY SAY, ARE THE CHRISTIAN STUNTS WHO ARE UNABLE TO PRACTICE THEIR RELIGN BEE OF THE EMPIRE OF POLIL RRECTNS.“WE’VE SEEN EFFORTS AT THE STATE LEVEL TO ‘PROTECT STUNTS’ EXPRSN OF RELIG BELIEFS’ WHICH ALLOW SOME STUNTS TO BULLY OTHER STUNTS,” SAID SMH. INED, A PRO-BULLYG EXEMPTN PASSED THE MICHIGAN SENATE 2012, WH DEVOS FAY MONEY BEHD .SIAR EFFORTS HAVE FAILED ON THE FERAL LEVEL, AND THE OBAMA ADMISTRATN (AND OCR PARTICULAR) HAS ADOPTED POLICI TO BAT BULLYG. BUT THAT IS EASY TO CHANGE. REST ANTI-BULLYG AS “PRO-GAY POLIL RRECTNS” AND REST BULLYG AS “RELIG LIBERTY,” AND A DEVOS EDUTN DEPARTMENT ULD WIPE OUT EXISTG ANTI-BULLYG PROTECTNS—WHICH ARE ADMISTRATIVE, NOT LEGISLATIVE—AND PUT TO PLACE PRO-BULLY PROTECTNS. THEY WON’T LL THEM THAT, OF URSE.SMH SAID THAT HERE, THERE IS A “GLIMMER OF HOPE” BEE BULLYG HAS “GROWN BEYOND BEG AN LGBT ISSUE… THIS IS BEG MORE OF A BIPARTISAN ISSUE THAN WAS BACK 2010 OR 2011.”FOR NOW.4. SCHOOL VOUCHERSFALLY: IF VOUCHER PROGRAMS ARE STUTED, HOW WILL THE ERNMENT PROTECT VULNERABLE KIDS THE SCHOOLS THAT TAXPAYERS ARE SUBSIDIZG?DEVOS’S SIGNATURE ISSUE IS THE PROMOTN OF VOUCHERS THAT FUNNEL TAXPAYER MONEY TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS IF PARENTS PREFER THEM TO PUBLIC ON. WHATEVER THE ARGUMENTS, PRO AND N, REGARDG SCHOOL VOUCHERS, IS CLEAR THAT THEY HURT LGBT PEOPLE. “THERE IS NOT AN EXISTG VOUCHER PROGRAM THE UNTRY,” SMH SAID, “THAT REQUIR SCHOOLS THAT RECEIVE FUNDS TO PLY WH THE CIVIL-RIGHTS PROTECTNS THAT APPLY TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.”AS A RULT, “PUBLIC MONEY ULD GO TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT DON’T UPHOLD STUNTS’ RIGHTS, OR TO RELIG SCHOOLS THAT ULD BE UNIENDLY OR EVEN PSYCHOLOGILLY DANGERO TO THOSE STUNTS.”IN A WAY, THIS IS PART OF THE PROBLEM WH “SCHOOL CHOICE” SELF. ON THE ONE HAND, THE FERAL ERNMENT SHOULD NOT BE TELLG SOME RELIG SCHOOL HOW TO TEACH S OWN RELIGN AND ERN S STUNT BODY. ON THE OTHER HAND, AS SOON AS FERAL DOLLARS START FLOWG TO THAT SCHOOL—AT THE EXPENSE OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NO LS—THE ERNMENT IS PAYG FOR ANTI-GAY, ANTI-WOMEN, OR ANTI-WHOMEVER DOCTRE TO BE TGHT TO YOUNG PEOPLE; FOR GUIDANCE UNSELORS WHO HARM THEM; AND FOR SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS HOSTILE TO THEM.THERE’S NO WAY AROUND —EXCEPT, OF URSE, TO TAKE THE ERNMENT OUT OF THE PRIVATE-SCHOOL FUNDG BS ALTOGETHER, WHICH WAS THE POT OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT’S GUARANTE THE FIRST PLACE: TO KEEP ERNMENT AWAY OM RELIGN. AND IS WHAT VOUCHER PROGRAMS, NOTWHSTANDG THEIR NSTUTNALY, WOULD ERO. LGBT PEOPLE ARE ONE MUNY AFFECTED BY THEM.A HANDFUL OF LGBT TMP-SUPPORTERS—NEARLY ALL OF THEM WHE, WEALTHY GAY MEN—HAVE CLAIMED THAT BEE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IS SAFE AND TMP HAS GAY IENDS, THAT LGBTS AND ALLI SHOULD RELAX AND STOP WHG. “I THK TMP IS VERY GOOD ON GAY RIGHTS,” SAID PETER THIEL AN TERVIEW WH THE NEW YORK TIM. “I DON’T THK HE WILL REVERSE ANYTHG.”SUCH PLATS REVEAL A PROFOUND IGNORANCE OF HOW THE ERNMENT ACTUALLY WORKS. IN PRECISELY THE PARTS OF AMERI THAT GAVE TMP HIS VICTORY, YOUNG LGBTS ARE AS VULNERABLE AS EVER—PERHAPS EVEN MORE SO, DUE TO CREASED VISIBILY—AND IS POLICI LIKE THE EDUTN DEPARTMENT’S, MUCH MORE THAN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, WHERE THE BBER HS THE ROAD.IF BETSY DEVOS SIS WH HER VILENTLY ANTI-LGBT FAY MEMBERS (AND FELLOW BET MEMBERS), SHE HAS THE PACY TO DO GREAT HARM TO CHILDREN THE NAME OF PROMOTG NSERVATIVE MORALY. WE NEED TO KNOW WHERE SHE STANDS. JAY MICHAELSON

OPENLY GAY MEMBERS OF CONGRS RAISE SER CONCERNS ABOUT BETSY DEVOS’ RERD ON LGBT EQUALY

The vio of Edutn Secretary Betsy DeVos nfirmg that she would allow private schools to receive feral dollars while they blatantly discrimate agast gay, lbian, bisexual and transgenr stunts is simply stunng.

Clark, a Democrat om Massachetts, asked DeVos pot blank a hearg yterday if she would allow feral funds to go to a school that bans LGBT stunts or stunts wh gay or lbian parents, and she ed the Lighthoe Christian Amy Indiana as an, an eerily lm manner, said that would be up to the stat to make the cisn to allow “parents to make choic” when to puttg their kids a hostile anti-LGBTQ environment, where li and distortns that lead to bullyg and vlence are tght to children about queer people, while receivg feral money the form of vouchers. Past Colleagu Say Y, ” reportg that DeVos’ “support for her gay iends and for lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr rights are a largely unknown but ep-seated aspect of her history, datg as far back as the late 1990s.

DeVos’s personal story is not only at odds wh the public image of her and her fay as proment fanciers of nservative , but also stands out a nascent admistratn wh a number of members who have a history of opposg gay rights. It would not be the first time the Tim had been seemgly ed by the Tmp team a moment of need, wtgly or not: There was the bizarre story by Maggie Haberman April of 2016, about Tmp himself, headled “Donald Tmp’s More Acceptg Views on Gay Issu Set Him Apart G. '”As wh Tmp himself, jt bee Betsy DeVos might help out her well-off Republin gay iends ― who might return the favor by helpg her other ways ― don’t mean she’s not voted to her fay’s longtime goals, nor to puttg relig beliefs before LGBTQ rights.

DO DEVOS COMMENTS ENURAGE ANTI-GAY BIAS?

While she gave McNalley and his hband a reference letter their succsful effort to adopt a child as gay parents, she also fancially ntributed to the mpaign of GOP legislator Andrea LaFontae ― a zealo relig nservative ― who spearhead a dranian Michigan law passed 2015, weeks before the Supreme Court’s landmark marriage equaly lg, that allows state-fund fah-based adoptn agenci to turn away gay and lbian upl based on their sexual orientatn. Another is a lumo photo say of gay Midwterners dog such mundane thgs as ridg a bicycle and posg an embrace on a sofa.

” Courty of ArtPrize One gay ArtPrize 2017 entrant, Daniel Vanr Ley, grew up the Grand Rapids area and socialized wh Rick DeVos and his siblgs whom he lled, “lovely people who always treated me really well. Courty of ArtPrize Still, Song said, the nservative nature of wtern Michigan is evince the rults of the popular votg, potg to the failure of a llectn of pictur of gay men by openly gay photographer Hwa-Jeen Ma to crack the top 25, spe beg shown one of the hight-trafficked of ArtPrize’s more than 120 venu.

BETSY DEVOS, TMP’S EDUTN PICK, COULD MAKE LIFE HELL FOR LGBT YOUTHURGENTSENATORS MT ASK IF A SOCIALLY NSERVATIVE CSAR TENDS TO PROTECT GAY AND TRANSGENR STUNTS. LIV ARE AT STAKE.JAY MICHAELSONUPDATED APR. 11, 2017 4:10PM EDT / PUBLISHED JAN. 17, 2017 9:45AM EST PACIFIC PRS/GETTYAS BILLNAIRE PHILANTHROPIST BETSY DEVOS HEADS TO HER NFIRMATN HEARGS TO N THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUTN, MOST QUTNS WILL LIKELY BE ABOUT HER SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL VOUCHERS, CHARTER SCHOOLS, AND OTHER ALTERNATIV TO THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM.BUT THERE IS AN URGENT NEED TO ASK DEVOS ANOTHER SET OF QUTNS: WHAT WOULD SHE DO TO PROTECT THE MOST VULNERABLE STUNTS, PARTICULARLY LGBT STUNTS, OM HARASSMENT AND VLENCE? WOULD HER PARTMENT MAKE MATTERS EVEN WORSE FOR THEM?SAME-SEX MARRIAGE MAY GRAB THE HEADL, BUT TN POLICY AT ALL LEVELS OF ERNMENT OFTEN HAS MORE OF AN EFFECT ON THE DAILY LIV OF LGBT PEOPLE, BEE SPE ALL THE PROGRS RECENT YEARS, QUEER KIDS ARE STILL BEG BULLIED, AND STILL ATTEMPTG SUICI AT FOUR TIM THE RATE OF STRAIGHT KIDS.DEVOS’S STANCE ON LGBT RIGHTS IS NOT KNOWN—SHE HAS CLED TO MENT AHEAD OF THE NFIRMATN HEARGS—BUT THERE ARE, TO PUT DLY, REASONS FOR NCERN. THE DEVOS FAY HAS BEEN THE PRIMARY FUNR OF SOME OF THE MOST ANTI-LGBT ANIZATNS THE UNTRY, TO THE TUNE OF MORE THAN $200 LN. HER FATHER--LAW, RICHARD DEVOS, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST MEGA-FUNRS OF THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT THE 1970S, AND HIS FOUNDATN IS NOW A FIXTURE AT THE GATHERG, THE WOODSTOCK OF CHRISTIAN RIGHT FUNRS, AND A MAJOR FUNR OF FOC ON THE FAY. THE DEVOS CENTER FOR RELIGN AND SOCIETY AT THE HERAGE FOUNDATN HAS PROMOTED A QUASI-THEOCRATIC WORLDVIEW. AND BETSY DEVOS’S FATHER, EDGAR PRCE, WAS A FOUNR OF THE FAY REARCH COUNCIL.ON THE OTHER HAND, THAT’S HER FAY—NOT HER. THE DICK AND BETSY DEVOS FOUNDATN SELF HAS LARGELY FOCED ON SCHOOL VOUCHERS AND SCHOOL CHOICE, THOUGH THEY HAVE ALSO SUPPORTED THE ACTON INSTUTE, A HARD-RIGHT “RELIG LIBERTY” ANIZATN THAT HAS TAKEN MANY ANTI-LGBT STANC. AND ONE OF HER POLIL ADVISERS, GREG MCNEILLY, IS OPENLY GAY.AS A RULT, SAYS NATHAN SMH, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY AT GLSEN, A LEADG BACKER OF ANTI-BULLYG AND OTHER PROTECTNS FOR LGBT STUNTS, “WE’RE HAVG TO READ THE TEA LEAV TERMS OF WHAT DEVOS IS GOG TO DO ON LGBT ISSU.”WE SHOULDN’T HAVE TO. SENATORS SHOULD ASK DEVOS FOUR SPECIFIC QUTNS ABOUT LGBT PEOPLE AND THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUTN.1. THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTSFIRST: WILL YOU MATA THE MISSN OF THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS, OR WILL YOU CUT STAFF, APPOT PEOPLE HOSTILE TO S MISSN, AND SET PRRI THAT ABANDON LGBTS AND OTHER VULNERABLE POPULATNS?WH THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUTN, THE OFFICE OF CIVIL RIGHTS, OR OCR, IS, SMH’S WORDS, “THE CRIL OFFICE WH THE PARTMENT TO ENSURE THAT CIVIL-RIGHTS PROTECTNS ARE ENFORCED AND EQUABLE ACROSS STUNT POPULATN.” OCR TERPRETS FERAL LAWS AGAST RACE, GENR, AND OTHER FORMS OF DISCRIMATN; MOST RECENTLY, WAS HEAVILY ATTACKED BY NSERVATIV FOR RELEASG A “GUIDANCE LETTER” STATG THAT ANTI-TRANSGENR DISCRIMATN WAS A FORM OF SEX DISCRIMATN, PROHIBED UNR TLE IX.WHILE THE OCR LETTER WAS ABOUT ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMATN AND HOW TRANS PEOPLE ARE TREATED THROUGHOUT THE TNAL SYSTEM, , LIKE EVERYTHG TRANSGENR POLICS, BEME ALL ABOUT BATHROOMS. AND EVEN THOUGH EXPRSLY PERMTED THE SOLUTN ALREADY IMPLEMENTED BY HUNDREDS OF SCHOOLS—SGLE-STALL, NON-GENRED RTROOMS— BEME A FLASHPOT OF HYSTERIL NSERVATIVE EXPLOATN. BOYS THE GIRLS’ ROOM! THANKS, OBAMA!THE GUIDANCE LETTER IS ALMOST CERTALY TO BE RCD, PROBABLY IMMEDIATELY. BUT THE LARGER QUTN IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO OCR SELF. WHILE SMH DOUBTED THAT THE OFFICE WOULD BE ELIMATED ENTIRELY (“’S WOVEN TO EXISTG LAW”)—HE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT IS “CERTALY WH THE THORY OF THE ADMISTRATN TO APPOT POLIL APPOTE NOT IENDLY TO THE OFFICE.”BETSY DEVOS SHOULD BE ASKED ABOUT THIS DIRECTLY. HOWEVER SHE ANSWERS, ALL SENATORS WHO VOTE FOR HER N THEN BE HELD ACUNTABLE.2. ANTI-LGBT DIRECTIVSEND: WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON SEXUAL ORIENTATN AND GENR INTY, AND HOW WOULD YOUR PARTMENT CHANGE EXISTG POLICI REGARDG THEM?THE EDUTN DEPARTMENT N DO FAR MORE THAN RCD PRO-LGBT POLICI, AFTER ALL. IT N IMPLEMENT ANTI-LGBT ON.FOR EXAMPLE, WOULD BE RELATIVELY EASY FOR THE PARTMENT TO CLARE HOMOSEXUALY TO BE A “LIFTYLE CHOICE” AND BEG TRANSGENR A “MENTAL ILLNS,” THEN SET FERAL POLICI THAT “DISURAGE” BOTH. THE ULD CLU BANNG ANY SCHOOLS WH GAY-STRAIGHT ALLIANC OM RECEIVG FERAL FUNDS OR GRANT PROGRAMS TO PROMOTE SO-LLED NVERSN THERAPY (DEVOS FAY FOUNDATNS HAVE DONATED HEAVILY TO GROUPS PROMOTG THIS QUACKERY).OTHER EASY CHANG WOULD BE TO APPROVE THAT FAVORS THE “NATURAL FAY”—A NSERVATIVE NEOLOGISM REFERRG TO A CHILDBEARG MARRIAGE BETWEEN DOMANT MAN AND A SUBMISSIVE WOMAN—AS THE ONLY APPROPRIATE FAY NFIGURATN. FERAL PROGRAMS THAT NOW CLU DIVERSY TRAG ULD BE REORIENTED, AND EVEN SPORTS TEAMS ULD GO BACK TO EXCLUDG LGBT STUNTS OM PARTICIPATN.SMH NOTED THAT “IF THEY ISSUED THAT KD OF GUIDANCE, THERE’D BE HUGE PHBACK NOT JT OM LGBT AND CIVIL-RIGHTS GROUPS BUT ALSO ANIZATNS LIKE THE [AMERIN PSYCHLOGIL ASSOCIATN]. THE APA DISCS WHAT TRANS ISSU ARE AND HOW BT TO WORK WH TRANS PEOPLE. FOR THE FERAL ERNMENT TO ISSUE GUIDANCE DIRECT OPPOSN TO BT PRACTIC WOULD GET A LOT OF ATTENTN.”OF URSE, THAT HASN’T STOPPED NUMERO STAT OM ISSUG OTHER DIRECTIV DIRECT NTRADICTN TO BT PRACTIC, SUCH AS TEXAS’S NOW-VOID ABORTN REGULATNS. AND WOULD HARDLY BE THE ONLY TIME THE TMP ADMISTRATN FIED WILY AGREED-UPON NORMS.3. BULLYGTHIRD: ARE MONSTRATNS OF ANTI-GAY BELIEFS A FORM OF RELIG LIBERTY? DO YOU AGREE WH OTHER MEMBERS OF YOUR FAY THAT REGULATNS AGAST BULLYG ARE FORMS OF POLIL RRECTNS THAT OPPRS CHRISTIANS?BELIEVE OR NOT, BULLI HAVE THEIR OWN LOBBYISTS WASHGTON: CHRISTIAN RIGHT GROUPS THAT ARGUE BULLYG IS A FORM OF RELIG LIBERTY. A BULLY WEARG A “GOD HAT FAGS” T-SHIRT OR SHOVG BIBLE PAMPHLETS GAY STUNTS’ FAC IS, THEY SAY, THE EE EXERCISE OF RELIGN THAT OUR FOUNDG FATHERS SOUGHT TO PROTECT. THE REAL VICTIMS, THEY SAY, ARE THE CHRISTIAN STUNTS WHO ARE UNABLE TO PRACTICE THEIR RELIGN BEE OF THE EMPIRE OF POLIL RRECTNS.“WE’VE SEEN EFFORTS AT THE STATE LEVEL TO ‘PROTECT STUNTS’ EXPRSN OF RELIG BELIEFS’ WHICH ALLOW SOME STUNTS TO BULLY OTHER STUNTS,” SAID SMH. INED, A PRO-BULLYG EXEMPTN PASSED THE MICHIGAN SENATE 2012, WH DEVOS FAY MONEY BEHD .SIAR EFFORTS HAVE FAILED ON THE FERAL LEVEL, AND THE OBAMA ADMISTRATN (AND OCR PARTICULAR) HAS ADOPTED POLICI TO BAT BULLYG. BUT THAT IS EASY TO CHANGE. REST ANTI-BULLYG AS “PRO-GAY POLIL RRECTNS” AND REST BULLYG AS “RELIG LIBERTY,” AND A DEVOS EDUTN DEPARTMENT ULD WIPE OUT EXISTG ANTI-BULLYG PROTECTNS—WHICH ARE ADMISTRATIVE, NOT LEGISLATIVE—AND PUT TO PLACE PRO-BULLY PROTECTNS. THEY WON’T LL THEM THAT, OF URSE.SMH SAID THAT HERE, THERE IS A “GLIMMER OF HOPE” BEE BULLYG HAS “GROWN BEYOND BEG AN LGBT ISSUE… THIS IS BEG MORE OF A BIPARTISAN ISSUE THAN WAS BACK 2010 OR 2011.”FOR NOW.4. SCHOOL VOUCHERSFALLY: IF VOUCHER PROGRAMS ARE STUTED, HOW WILL THE ERNMENT PROTECT VULNERABLE KIDS THE SCHOOLS THAT TAXPAYERS ARE SUBSIDIZG?DEVOS’S SIGNATURE ISSUE IS THE PROMOTN OF VOUCHERS THAT FUNNEL TAXPAYER MONEY TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS IF PARENTS PREFER THEM TO PUBLIC ON. WHATEVER THE ARGUMENTS, PRO AND N, REGARDG SCHOOL VOUCHERS, IS CLEAR THAT THEY HURT LGBT PEOPLE. “THERE IS NOT AN EXISTG VOUCHER PROGRAM THE UNTRY,” SMH SAID, “THAT REQUIR SCHOOLS THAT RECEIVE FUNDS TO PLY WH THE CIVIL-RIGHTS PROTECTNS THAT APPLY TO PUBLIC SCHOOLS.”AS A RULT, “PUBLIC MONEY ULD GO TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS THAT DON’T UPHOLD STUNTS’ RIGHTS, OR TO RELIG SCHOOLS THAT ULD BE UNIENDLY OR EVEN PSYCHOLOGILLY DANGERO TO THOSE STUNTS.”IN A WAY, THIS IS PART OF THE PROBLEM WH “SCHOOL CHOICE” SELF. ON THE ONE HAND, THE FERAL ERNMENT SHOULD NOT BE TELLG SOME RELIG SCHOOL HOW TO TEACH S OWN RELIGN AND ERN S STUNT BODY. ON THE OTHER HAND, AS SOON AS FERAL DOLLARS START FLOWG TO THAT SCHOOL—AT THE EXPENSE OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS, NO LS—THE ERNMENT IS PAYG FOR ANTI-GAY, ANTI-WOMEN, OR ANTI-WHOMEVER DOCTRE TO BE TGHT TO YOUNG PEOPLE; FOR GUIDANCE UNSELORS WHO HARM THEM; AND FOR SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS HOSTILE TO THEM.THERE’S NO WAY AROUND —EXCEPT, OF URSE, TO TAKE THE ERNMENT OUT OF THE PRIVATE-SCHOOL FUNDG BS ALTOGETHER, WHICH WAS THE POT OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT’S GUARANTE THE FIRST PLACE: TO KEEP ERNMENT AWAY OM RELIGN. AND IS WHAT VOUCHER PROGRAMS, NOTWHSTANDG THEIR NSTUTNALY, WOULD ERO. LGBT PEOPLE ARE ONE MUNY AFFECTED BY THEM.A HANDFUL OF LGBT TMP-SUPPORTERS—NEARLY ALL OF THEM WHE, WEALTHY GAY MEN—HAVE CLAIMED THAT BEE SAME-SEX MARRIAGE IS SAFE AND TMP HAS GAY IENDS, THAT LGBTS AND ALLI SHOULD RELAX AND STOP WHG. “I THK TMP IS VERY GOOD ON GAY RIGHTS,” SAID PETER THIEL AN TERVIEW WH THE NEW YORK TIM. “I DON’T THK HE WILL REVERSE ANYTHG.”SUCH PLATS REVEAL A PROFOUND IGNORANCE OF HOW THE ERNMENT ACTUALLY WORKS. IN PRECISELY THE PARTS OF AMERI THAT GAVE TMP HIS VICTORY, YOUNG LGBTS ARE AS VULNERABLE AS EVER—PERHAPS EVEN MORE SO, DUE TO CREASED VISIBILY—AND IS POLICI LIKE THE EDUTN DEPARTMENT’S, MUCH MORE THAN SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, WHERE THE BBER HS THE ROAD.IF BETSY DEVOS SIS WH HER VILENTLY ANTI-LGBT FAY MEMBERS (AND FELLOW BET MEMBERS), SHE HAS THE PACY TO DO GREAT HARM TO CHILDREN THE NAME OF PROMOTG NSERVATIVE MORALY. WE NEED TO KNOW WHERE SHE STANDS. JAY MICHAELSON

One Top 25 piece wh a gay-suggtive tle, “Stone Thron of PTown, ” turned out to be a pair of chairs ma of large rocks found not the Massachetts LGBTQ mec of Provcetown but, alas, the stereotypilly average cy of Peoria. However, a top official om Equaly Michigan, a gay rights group om DeVos’ home state, believ her personal views aren’t accurately reflected by her fay’s past donatns and exprs hope she will protect LGBT kids — while also notg plans to watch her actns.

Tmp, meanwhile, has exprsed tolerant views on gay rights. The Office for Civil Rights Obama’s Edutn Department has pursued a number of polici herald by civil rights and gay advocy groups: It urged schools to extend anti-bullyg polici to ver LGBT stunts. “That guidance has been a life-saver for stunts across the untry, ” said Jam Esseks, director of the ACLU’s Lbian Gay Bisexual Transgenr and HIV Project.

Advot pot to one DeVos relatnship that they say giv them hope for how she may approach LGBT issu: Greg McNeilly, a polil adviser to DeVos and the chief operatg officer of the DeVos fay’s pany Wdqut Group, is gay and was one of the first to marry his same-sex partner Michigan after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.