News Round-Up: April 10, 2019

Some news items you might have missed:

• InstaHunk Dan Tai gets up close to a mama elephant. If that's not enough elephant action for you, check this baby elephant pretending to be brave. #ElephantsRock

• Following an overall trend of increased hate crimes since Donald Trump took office, a Colorado transgender man was attacked on his own front porch for "acting gay."

• It's National Siblings Day, so here's a shout out to my brother, Gary, who I fought with throughout my childhood. But, as adults, we found common ground - wonder what that was...? #MoreWine

Happy Siblings Day to my big bro, Gary

• A gay guy wrote an essay titled, "Why Pete Buttigieg Is Bad For Gays," and he's wrong.

• Hollywood powerhouse producer/director Ryan Murphy announced he will make the hit Broadway musical The Prom (about a high school girl asking another girl to the prom) into a Netflix movie.

• Testifying before Congress today, Education Secretary Betsy Devos admitted she knew rolling back Obama-era guidance that protected trans students would lead to lower attendance and depression for those students.

.@RepBonamici: "Did you know when you rolled back the guidance that the stress of harassment and discrimination can lead to lower attendance and grades as well as depression for transgender students?"

Secretary @BetsyDeVosED: "I do know that." pic.twitter.com/nEMvk2sFUQ

— CSPAN (@cspan) April 10, 2019

News Round-Up: April 3, 2019

Some news items you might have missed:

• Here's a t-shirt (modeled by InstaHunk Ramses Principe) that I can totally relate to ;)

• The governor of Utah has signed into law the state's new, tougher hate crimes law with stricter punishments for those who commit crimes specifically due to bias. Yes - Utah!

• Even though Netflix cancelled the terrific One Day at a Time reboot, the streaming giant may be standing in the show's way of finding a new home.

• Starting out at a bus stop as young boys, James Corden and Tony Award winner Ben Platt tell the story of a life-long friendship using 9 different sets and 12 carefully curated songs all captured in one take.

• Investigators on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team say the four page letter by Attorney General William Barr didn't adequately portray the findings of their investigation.

• Stoning gays to death officially became the law of the land in Brunei today. Even Ellen DeGeneres has joined the boycott of hotels owned by the Sultan of Brunei.

• Donald Trump's choices for ambassadorships has been, interesting, to say the least. Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates — a wealthy real estate developer with no diplomatic experience. Ambassador to Morocco? A well-heeled car dealer. For Iceland? While well-traveled, the nominee had never even been to the Nordic country.

• The brilliant satirist, Randy Rainbow, offers his parody of the Disney classic, "Cruella DeVille," with a nod to our current clueless Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

🎶She might be even dumber than her boss...🎶 #CruellaDeVos 🍎😈 pic.twitter.com/8PhLorHukv

— Randy Rainbow (@RandyRainbow) April 2, 2019

Ed. Sec. Betsy DeVos Doesn't Know If LGBTQ Students Should Be Discriminated Against

Betsy DeVos and Rep. Mark Pocan

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos continues to be a simply hideous person.

There are many, many reasons, but here’s just a few via the Human Rights Campaign:

Within days of taking office, she revoked the Obama-era guidance on protections for transgender students under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

In 2017, she withdrewTitle IX guidance on addressing sexual harassment in schools (including sexual violence) which affects LGBTQ kids disproportionately.

As chair of the Federal Commission on School Safety, she recommended rescinding nondiscriminatory school discipline guidanceprotecting students of color.

The list goes on and on.

This week, while answering questions about the Trump administration’s education budget, she was unable to give a straight answer to a question on whether or not she feels it’s okay for LGBTQ students to be discriminated against.

This isn’t really hard, you know…

Following up a question on school suspensions, openly gay Rep. Mark Pocan asked her, “Do you think it’s alright for a school to discriminate based on someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity?”

DeVos’ word-salad of an answer went like this:

“Um, we have laws that cover discriminatory efforts, and, um, our office for civil rights has continued to be very diligent in investigating any allegation of, um, discrimination and will continue to do so,” she stammered.

“So is that a yes or is that a no?,” asked Pocan. “I’m trying to get a yes or no, I guess, on that.”

In @BetsyDeVosED’s budget, there are major cuts to programs like the Special Olympics. Sec. DeVos didn’t know the number of kids who would be hurt by that cut, so I made sure she now knows that 272,000 kids are seeing their support taken away. pic.twitter.com/6ZiOfDU4Ou

— Rep. Mark Pocan (@repmarkpocan) March 26, 2019

Pocan also touched on DeVos’ continued support for charter schools even though 25% of her beloved charter schools are failing.

Insert more word salad here...

When Pocan asked about proposed cuts to the tune of $17.6 million from the Special Olympics(which gives people with intellectual challenges the opportunity to compete in athletic contests), DeVos was flummoxed yet again.

Pocan inquired how many students those cuts would affect.

“We had to make some difficult decisions with this budget,” the secretary sputtered.

“How many kids?”

“I don’t know the number of kids…”

“Two hundred and seventy-two thousand - no problem, I’ll answer it for you,” said Pocan.

After running down more and more cuts to education for challenged students (including his two nephews with autism), the congressman kept trying to get an answer as to why so many programs for these students are being cut.

You got it - more word salad.

Devos would deflect, Pocan would readdress the question and topic at hand.

Credit the congressman for being tenacious.

Pocan wrapped up with a question as to how, when cutting 12% across the board from education budgets she could justify a 15% INCREASE for ‘executive salary appropriations?’

In the end, the super-wealthy DeVos weaved, dodged and changed subjects until Pocan’s time ran out.

Hideous.

Study Of 12,000 LGBTQ Teens Shows Only 26% Feel Safe In Classrooms

After interviewing over 12,000 LGBTQ teenagers, the HRC Foundation and the University of Connecticut has released the largest-of-its-kind survey detailing the anxiety and challenges so many of them face going regarding their daily lives at home, at school and in their communities.

With teens ranging in age from 13 to 17, and from all 50 states and Washington D.C., the survey reveals teenagers are not only experiencing stressful levels of apprehension and angst, but only a small minority (26%) feel unsafe in their own school classrooms.

The researchers found that:

• 79% of LGBTQ teenagers surveyed report feeling depressed or down over the past week

• 95% of LGBTQ youth report trouble sleeping at night

• LGBTQ youth of color and transgender teenagers experience unique challenges and elevated stress -- only 11% of youth of color surveyed believe their racial or ethnic group is regarded positively in the U.S., and over 50% of trans and gender expansive youth said they can never use school restrooms that align with their gender identity

• More than 70% report feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness in the past week

• A scant 5% say all of their teachers and school staff are supportive of LGBTQ people

• 76% report that they’ve heard family members make negative comments about LGBTQ people

To protest the harmful effects the Trump/Pence administration is having on young LGBTQs, artist Robin Bell and HRC projected a message on the U.S. Department of Education building (above).

The projection read, “Betsy DeVos, How do you sleep at night when only 26% of LGBTQ youth always feels safe in class?”

You can read the full survey from HRC and the University of Connecticut here.

SNL: Kate McKinnon Kills With Spot-On "Betsy DeVos"

Is there anything Kate McKinnon can't do?

I guess it was just a matter of time before McKinnon turned her talents on Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, and after DeVos' disastrous 60 Minutes interview the time was sure right.

Trying to explain her public embarrassments, McKinnon's "DeVos" shared that she does indeed have innovative ideas that are based on state-by-state needs such as schools for bears in Wyoming, and that “in North Carolina, stop being trans, and that’s what’s best for them.”

She also seems to know why the 60 Minutes interview veered off-course: “I think it’s because I do not do a good job, and I can’t, because I don’t know how.”

Randy Rainbow Interviews Education Secretary Betsy DeVos

60 Minutes might have gotten there first, but Randy Rainbow starts the weekend off right with his very own "excloosive" interview with billionaire/elitist Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos.

Squee!!!!! Hit play below.

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' Crash & Burn Interview On 60 MINUTES

Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos struggled mightily last night in a sit-down interview with 60 Minutes journalist Lesley Stahl to answer even simple questions about public school' performance.

Even on questions about schools in her home state of Michigan, where public schools there have gotten worse, DeVos admitted she hadn't "intentionally visited schools that are underperforming."

Stahl's response? "Maybe you should."

DeVos became Education Secretary as reward for her family's huge donations to Republican campaigns and causes. She married an heir to the Amway fortune and has made destroying the public school system the cause of her life.

DeVos says her actions have been to champion "choice" but in truth her goal is for religious schools to take over education in America.

Rather than address the issues with traditional public schools, DeVos' battlecry is to allow parents to take their children out of public school systems, give them funds in the form of a voucher and then let the parents enroll their children in private religious schools. The problem is that the funds pulled out of public schools cause those schools to slide even further in decline.

And since the vouchers don't cover the full cost of private schools, lower income families are left behind with the remains of a decaying public school system.

Put simply, DeVos is a huge threat to public education and the separation of church and state in America.

Like the rest of Donald Trump's cabinet, DeVos is a champion of deregulation. As Secretary of Education she is tasked with overseeing guidelines that protect the civil rights of students.

But mere days after being confirmed, she rescinded Obama-era guidelines that allowed transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice. What a surprise.

Here's a link to the full transcript of last night's debacle.

Sec. of Education Betsy DeVos struggles to answer fairly basic questions on school performance on 60 Minutes pic.twitter.com/lFVq3USwUW

— Axios (@axios) March 12, 2018

Just watched the whole @60Minutes piece on Betsy DeVos. Pretty rough. @LesleyRStahl seemed to know more about the nation’s public schools than the education secretary.

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) March 12, 2018

MAGA people are rushing to defend Betsy DeVos, who was ambushed by unfair gotcha questions like “Have you ever been in a cafeteria” and “What do you think schools do”

— Patrick Monahan (@pattymo) March 12, 2018

We all expected a controversial blonde woman to embarrass the Trump administration on 60 minutes, we just thought it would be Stormy Daniels not Betsy DeVos.

— Adam Best (@adamcbest) March 12, 2018

Personally I think Betsy DeVos' appearance on 60 Minutes tonight did more damage to Trump than a Stormy Daniels interview could ever do. He put an actual imbecile in the most important job in his cabinet. That's not just screwing a porn star, thats screwing all of our children.

— Jeremy Newberger (@jeremynewberger) March 12, 2018

Betsy DeVos wasn't asked what is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow. She was asked basic questions about education and had trouble answering them.

Also, saying that we shouldn't invest in school buildings is stupid. Dilapidated & unsafe buildings affect learning. https://t.co/4FQVHYVn73

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 12, 2018

Betsy DeVos can't answer questions about improving the educational system because her goal is to raze it to the ground. She's a saboteur. https://t.co/V9Ebu3xe4M

— Jared Yates Sexton (@JYSexton) March 12, 2018

Betsy DeVos only visits pet charter schools that took funds from public schools.

Lesley Stahl: Perhaps you should visit public schools that have lost funding to charter schools and aren’t doing so well.

DeVos: Perhaps I should.

DeVos is completely unfit to serve.#60Minutes pic.twitter.com/ygUmQE8EIg

— PassMeAPickle (@CeeLeeMusic) March 11, 2018

News Round-Up: June 8, 2017

Nick Sandell - Photo credit: Frank Marando

Some news items you may have missed:

• Fitness model (and Randy Report favorite) Nick Sandell shares the news he's been signed by the legendary Wilhelmina Agency. Gee, can't imagine why... ;)

• Education Secretary Betsy DeVos won't commit to banning LGBTQ discrimination in private schools. Is anyone surprised? Show of hands? No? No? Me neither.

• As lawmakers in the Lone Star state continue to consider an anti-trans "bathroom bill," Texas-based Southwest Airlines gives some push-back by highlighting a transgender employee in new Pride Month video.

• Debra Messing & Sean Hayes together with GLAAD urge folks to join in the upcoming June 11th Pride Marches:

• Speaking of this weekend's Pride Marches, the organizers of D.C.’s annual Capital Pride parade and festival, plus the Equality March for Unity and Pride on Sunday, say the total number of people participating in D.C. could exceed several hundred thousand.

• Capturing the rebelliousness, the high camp, and the joy of the annual Invasion of the Pines, renowned photographer Susan Kravitz is releasing Mascara, Mirth & Mayhem, a collection of photos and interviews from over 30 years of the annual Fire Island event.

News Round-Up: May 26, 2017

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Memorial Day weekend means we head into the dog days of summer. I'm not complaining ;)

• During a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos told lawmakers she had no problem with private schools receiving publicly-funded vouchers denying admission to students from LGBTQ families.

• United Airlines wrongly accused a gay dad of having his hand "too close" to his son's genitals during a flight. United has since apologized but asked the man to "keep it low key" due to the airline's recent bad press.

• In high school, Wyatt Pertuset was homecoming king, prom king, student body president and an out football player. Check out his terrific coming out story over at OutSports.

• Speaking of out athletes, the former CEO of the Cleveland Browns thinks Michael Sam's short foray into the NFL could prevent other closeted football players from coming out.

• The White House may have a team of lawyers vet President Trump's tweets before the Donald sends them out into the interwebs.

• Check out hottie Rob Gronkowski get soaking wet washing his car, serve sushi from his bare bod and literally flip out in a pillow fight in the new “On My Mind” video from dance music DJ/producer 3LAU. I like the song, btw.

Meme Of The Day: Betsy DeVos

Billionaire Betsy DeVos Confirmed As Education Secretary By Vote Of 51-50

Vice-president Mike Pence

For the first time in history, the vice-president was required to cast a tie breaking vote in order to confirm a president's cabinet nominee.

Billionaire Betsy DeVos, who has spent many years promoting a voucher system for America's schools but has no formal experience or training in education, was approved today in the U.S. Senate by a vote of 51-50.

The New York Times reports:

Two Republicans voted against Ms. DeVos’s confirmation, a sign that some members of President Trump’s party are willing to go against him, possibly foreshadowing difficulty on some of the president’s more contentious legislative priorities. It was the first time that a vice president has been summoned to the Capitol to break a tie on a cabinet nomination, according to the Senate historian.

The two Republicans who voted against the nominee, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, announced their opposition to her last week. In back-to-back floor speeches, the lawmakers said Ms. DeVos was unqualified because of a lack of familiarity with public schools and with laws meant to protect students, despite her passion for helping them.

Betsy DeVos Advances To Final Vote In Senate For Education Secretary

Betsy DeVos

Donald Trump's nominee for Education Secretary, billionaire Betsy DeVos, advanced to a final vote in the U.S. Senate today.

The Senate voted 52 to 48 on a procedural measure paving the way to the final confirmation vote, which the education committee chairman, Senator Lamar Alexander, said will happen early in the week.

Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski have said they will not vote for her, the first Republicans to break party ranks and vote against one of Trump’s cabinet nominees. If one more Republican sides with Democrats against her nomination, DeVos will become only the 10th cabinet nominee in U.S. history rejected by Congress.

Many feel DeVos' nomination is a reward for donating millions to conservative politicians (including 17 sitting senators) and organizations (like the virulently anti-LGBT  Family Research Council and Focus on the Family) in the past.

She is woefully under qualified for the position with no training or degrees in education.

Her confirmation hearings were a catastrophe, and have become the stuff of legend now.

Folks around the country are organizing calls to senators who may be that 3rd Republican to vote 'no.'

The two most likely seem to be Senator Dean Heller of Nevada and Senator Rob Portman of Ohio.

Click on those links to make your voice heard. I've already reached out to Sen. Heller here in Nevada.

Billionaire Education Secretary Nominee Betsy DeVos Squeaks By Senate Committee On 12-11 Vote

Although it appears she was caught plagiarizing her answers in written responses to questions from Senators, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was approved out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee by a vote of 12-11.

From ABC News:

President Donald Trump’s nomination of Betsy DeVos to be education secretary was sent today to the full U.S. Senate for confirmation on a tight 12-11 party line vote in committee after a fractious debate over her qualifications.

The vote on the nomination of DeVos, a controversial figure in Michigan politics and education, raised hackles among Democrats in the Senate, who argued throughout a contentious hearing two weeks ago and today’s debate that she knows too little about federal education policy and would undermine public schools.

Republicans, in the majority in both the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the full Senate, defended her as being committed to children even if she has been a key supporter of school choice and vouchers — though two GOP members signaled that their votes in the committee today did not necessarily guarantee support on the Senate floor.

Funny (Not So Funny) Super-Cut Of Education Secretary Nominee Betsy DeVos' "Defensive Smiling"

The Washington Post reports on the growing pushback on the nomination of billionaire Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education.

Over 300 lawmakers from all 50 states have announced they oppose DeVos for the position, in great part because she has no experience in education.

Labor unions, civil rights leaders and advocates for children with disabilities have all joined the growing chorus of naysayers.

In addition to her lack of experience as an educator, she has no training or degrees in the area of education. She's worked for years to undermine public schools in favor of a voucher system that would allow parents to take public school money and shift that to private, for-profit schools.

And, of course, we all know the millions she and her family have donated to anti-LGBT groups like the Family Research Council.

After her confirmation hearing, I noted that I found her disingenuous smile to be smug and grating. It looks like I wasn't the only one.

Check out this viral video (below) from Super Deluxe - "Betsy DeVos: Defensive Smiling"

(h/t JoeMyGod)

Sen. Al Franken: All Senate Democrats Will Oppose Confirming DeVos As Education Secretary

During an appearance on The Rachel Maddow Show last night, Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota announced all of the Democrats on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will vote against confirming Donald Trump's nominee for education secretary, billionaire Betsy DeVos.

From ThinkProgress:

Unlike [Dr. Ben] Carson, who avoided disagreeing with senators during [his] confirmation, DeVos played it less safe and showed her lack of knowledge on education policy in a variety of areas. DeVos was not aware of a federal law protecting the rights of students with disabilities, did not appear to understand a question about measuring school quality, and suggested that schools needed guns to protect students from grizzly bears.

Her grizzly bear comment received the most attention, but DeVos also refused to say she would enforce 2011 guidance that uses a preponderance of evidence standard in investigations of campus sexual assault. This standard allows a disciplinary panel to make a decision based on which party’s evidence has greater weight rather than requiring clear and convincing evidence. Advocates for campus sexual assault survivors have long supported the guidance.

DeVos also avoided making detailed remarks about LGBTQ rights during the hearing. This week, DeVos said she supports same-sex marriage. In 1999, DeVos and her husband gave $275,000 to Focus on the Family, a conservative Christian non-profit organization which believes in gay conversion therapy, a harmful practice, but haven’t given money to the organization since. DeVos’ refusal to say she would support the 2011 guidance on campus rape — as well as her donations to a group that opposes the guidance— would seriously affect LGBTQ people. LGBTQ students are disproportionately the victims of campus sexual violence and harassment.

DeVos’ confirmation process is also different from Carson’s in the respect that well-organized national teachers unions fiercely oppose her. DeVos’ support of vouchers for private schools and for the expansion of charter schools has incensed public school teachers, who don’t want to see schools lose federal funding. During her hearing, DeVos dodged a question to vow that she wouldn’t take a cent from public schools. Last week, teachers and their allies protested against her nomination by gathering in front of schools in over 200 cities.

Radio Show: Today In LGBT News - President Obama's LGBT Legacy, WILL & GRACE Is Officially Coming Back To NBC

On this mid-week episode of The Randy Report:

• President Obama, speaking at his final news conference with the White House press corps, spoke about the progress of LGBT rights and protections under his administration. While he acknowledged his team was proud of the movement forward, he gave props to all the out and proud Americans who, through their sheer visibility, helped to bring about a huge change in the way society views LGBTs.

"I think we made useful contributions... but the primary heroes are the activists."

• President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for Education Secretary, billionaire Betsy DeVos, was directly questioned about her past support for anti-LGBT organizations, and especially so-called "ex-gay" therapy.

• And it's finally official - the hit TV show that many say helped give much exposure and visibility to the LGBT community, Will & Grace, is coming back to NBC for a 10 episode season next year.

Betsy DeVos Has Rough Ride During Education Secretary Confirmation Hearing

Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos had a very poor showing under during her confirmation hearing.

Wow. Watch this and think about the fact that Ms. DeVos is going to be the next person overseeing the entire federal education system.

It's notable that she has no experience working in education, nor does she have any education certification of any kinds.

Minnesota Sen. Al Franken focused on Devos' and her families huge donations to anti-LGBTQ organizations (around the 4:00 mark):

Franken: “Mrs. DeVos, your family has a long history of supporting anti-LGBT causes including donating millions of dollars to groups that push conversion therapy, the practice of trying to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. For example, you and your family have given over $10 million to Focus On the Family, an organization that currently states on its website that, ‘homosexual strugglers can and do change their sexual behavior and identity.'”

“Mrs. DeVos, conversion therapy has been widely discredited and rejected for decades by every mainstream medical and mental health organization as neither medically nor ethically appropriate,” the senator continued. “It has been shown to lead to depression, anxiety, drug use, homelessness, and suicide, particularly in LGBT youth. In fact, many of the leaders and founders of conversion therapy, including both religious ministries and mental health professionals, have not only publicly renounced it but have issued formal apologies for their work and how harmful it has been to the individuals involved. Mr. Chairman, I would ask that this be included in the record.”

“Mrs. DeVos, do you still believe in conversion therapy?”

DeVos: “Senator Franken, I’ve never believed in that. First of all, let me say I fully embrace equality and I believe in the innate value of every single human being and that all students, no matter their age, should be able to attend a school and feel safe and be free of discrimination. So let’s start there and let me just say that your characterization of our contributions I don’t think accurately reflects those of my family. I would hope you wouldn’t include other family members beyond my core family.”

Here she has a difficult time answering practically anything Sen. Tim Kaine asks:

Kaine: “If confirmed will you insist upon equal accountability in any K-12 school or educational program that receives taxpayer funding whether public, public charter or private?”
DeVos: “I support accountability.”
Kaine: “Equal accountability?”
DeVos: “I support accountability.”
Kaine: “Is that a yes or a no?”
DeVos: “I support accountability.”
Kaine: “Do you not want to answer my question?”
DeVos: “I support accountability.”
Kaine: “Let me ask you this. I think all schools that receive taxpayer funding should be equally accountable. Do you agree?”
DeVos: “Well they don’t, they are not today.”
Kaine: “Well, I think they should. Do you agree with me?
DeVos: “Well no . . . ”
Kaine, interrupting her, said: “You don’t agree with me.”

And then, this moment when she justifies guns in schools because some areas, like Wyoming, need them “to protect from potential grizzlies [bears].”

Trump Taps Same-Sex Marriage Foe For Education Secretary

Donald Trump has announced his choice for Secretary of Education and it's anti-gay marriage, Amway billionaire Betsy DeVos of Michigan.

In addition to the Amway fortune, the DeVos family also owns the Orlando Magic.

She becomes the second woman to join Donald Trump's cabinet.

DeVos, a former Michigan Republican Party chairwoman, is well known for her support for charter schools and vouchers.

She and her husband, Dick DeVos, are mega-donors to the Michigan Republican party and well-known for their generous donations to GOP officials and candidates.

In 2012, ABC News ran a story on the DeVos which included the fact that they donated $500,000 to the virulently anti-LGBT organization, the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).

Additionally, DeVos and her husband donated $200,000 to Michigan’s ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage.

In other words, they REALLY don't like the gays.

In response to that donation, LGBT activists called for a boycott of health and beauty company Amway, which is owned by DeVos' father.

GLSEN issued this statement regarding the news:

“We are deeply concerned by the nomination of Betsy DeVos for U.S. Secretary of Education. GLSEN is committed to the principle that all students have a right to high-quality public education free from discrimination. DeVos’s record of advocacy for vouchers and tuition tax credits represents a rejection of that principle. We have seen time and time again that so-called “school choice” undercuts civil-rights enforcement and drains public education systems of desperately needed funds. True educational equity requires schools that serve the most at-risk students, including students of color; students with disabilities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning (LGBTQ) students; and English-language learners. Vouchers and tuition tax credits do not advance this cause.

“As we have seen over the past eight years, federal civil rights oversight of education is essential to ensure that all students in this country have real access to opportunity. There is so much to be celebrated in the civil rights gains made during the Obama Administration. As a nation, we must build on that legacy. Over the years, people of good will across the political spectrum have been able to come together to promote the success of all students, and we call upon DeVos to join us in moving forward.”

And this from the National Education Association, the country's largest education labor union with 3 million members:

Every day, educators use their voice to advocate for every student to reach his or her full potential. We believe that the chance for the success of a child should not depend on winning a charter lottery, being accepted by a private school, or living in the right ZIP code. We have, and will continue, to fight for all students to have a great public school in their community and the opportunity to succeed no matter their backgrounds or circumstances.

Betsy DeVos has consistently worked against these values, and her efforts over the years have done more to undermine public education than support students. She has lobbied for failed schemes, like vouchers — which take away funding and local control from our public schools — to fund private schools at taxpayers’ expense. These schemes do nothing to help our most-vulnerable students while they ignore or exacerbate glaring opportunity gaps. She has consistently pushed a corporate agenda to privatize, de-professionalize and impose cookie-cutter solutions to public education. By nominating Betsy DeVos, the Trump administration has demonstrated just how out of touch it is with what works best for students, parents, educators and communities.

But remember, Trump is going to be a "good friend" to the LGBT community.

#right