GLSENwhich works to create safe and inclusive schools for LGBTQ studentsdenounced religious exemptions to federally funded programs across nine federal agencies recently proposed by the Trump Administration.
In a press release, the national organization said these new regulations would, among other things, make it easier for schools to qualify for Title IX exemptions as "religious schools," and make it more difficult for states to protect students from discrimination carried out with public funds.
"The Trump Administration's on-going effort to make us all pay for discrimination in K-12 schools under the guise of religion must be resisted at every step," said GLSEN Executive Director Eliza Byard. "We should be working to make our nation's schools safe for all students, not eroding existing civil rights protections that protect LGBTQ and other marginalized youth, and paying for the practices that put them at risk."
GLSEN's most recent National School Climate Survey ( NSCS ) shows that 62 percent of LGBTQ youth experienced discriminatory school policies and practices.
The group also called for the passage of the Equality Act, which would protect all students from discrimination based on their sexual orientation and gender identity.