On Sept. 29, the Department of Education made a decision that will harm LGBTQIA+ students across the United States. Under the Trump Administration, officials have officially removed Biden era Title IX rules that protected queer and transgender students from discrimination in classrooms.
LGBTQ students should have the right to express themselves freely.
Nobody celebrating this change will even be impacted by it. The only people impacted by this are the people that will be left without formal federal protections in the U.S: children, teenagers and young adults, who all deserve respect in the classroom and safety while they are trying to learn.
Also concerning is the DoED’s new regulatory agenda, and the further changes to Title IX, including the definition of “sex,” as well as the way the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) handles investigations.
The identities of LGBTQIA+ people should not be up for debate. It should not be a question of if these children in classrooms are deserving of respect, validity, or safety, and the answer should not depend on their identity.
These changes may not affect anyone at a college level, especially in Illinois, which has specific laws and policies in place to protect LGBTQIA+ students from discrimination, harassment and exclusion.
This doesn’t change the fact that we need federal regulations to protect minorities.
The U.S needs a government that truly cares more about the safety of children than politicizing their lived experiences in order to serve their own agendas.
Queer and transgender students of several states rely on federal protections to address bullying and harassment on account of their self expression. It is unacceptable for basic human rights and protection from discrimination vary by state lines.
The Trump administration has been occupied removing protections for many vulnerable groups of Americans, while polls reveal Americans are much more concerned with the cost of gas, inflation, our relationships with allied countries, balancing the federal budget and housing relief.All of which were promises on the campaign trail in 2024.
The changes made to Title IX, originally in 2025 and now formally published in 2026, are continuing a long legacy of oppressive and discriminatory policies against LGBTQIA+ people.
