In response to a New York Times article detailing efforts within the Trump Administration to eliminate the rights of transgender people through Title IX, End Rape on Campus Interim Executive Director Jess Davidson issued the following statement:
“The Trump Administration has, yet again, turned its back on transgender individuals. Their efforts to legally abolish self-identification of gender identity is one more instance of a series of calculated moves aiming to silence transgender individuals and denying them their civil rights.
“These efforts would have a disproportionate effect on transgender survivors, who face unacceptably high rates of violence. Forty-seven percent of transgender people at some point in their life are sexually assaulted, and 78 percent of individuals identifying as transgender or gender non-conforming during grades K-12 report significant rates of harassment. These alarming rates of violence call for more protections — not less — for transgender individuals.
“Title IX was established over 50 years ago to ban gender discrimination and ensure equal access to education. The false and oppressive equating of sex assigned at birth to gender fundamentally undermines the purpose of Title IX. Erasing an entire group of people from Title IX implementation is a clear attack on their civil rights.
“We call for the humanity of transgender individuals to be valued and recognized. None of us are safe until all of us are safe. In a time where those in power are attempting to silence transgender individuals, we say this: We hear you. We fight alongside side you. We respect you. We will not quit until we all are safe.”
