Quigley, Polis, Sánchez, Honda Urge Department of Education to Protect LGBT Students from Discrimination

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representatives Mike Quigley (IL-05), Vice-Chair of the Equality Caucus, Jared Polis (CO-02), Linda Sánchez (CA-38), and Mike Honda (CA-17), along with 64 of their Democratic colleagues, today urged the Department of Education to step up efforts to protect LGBT students from the damaging effects of discrimination and bullying.

In a letter to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the 68 Representatives asked the Department of Education to use every avenue at its disposal to address the epidemic of abuse directed toward LGBT students in our nation's schools. The letter calls on the Department to issue comprehensive guidance on schools' obligation to stop discrimination against LGBT students under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which the Office of Civil Rights has previously said prohibits discrimination based on based on gender identity and failure to conform to sex stereotypes.

"Students who identify as LGBT are much more likely to be bullied at school than their peers," the Representatives wrote. "We recognize the unprecedented efforts the Department has made under your leadership to address the many challenges that LGBT students face in our nation's schools…We urge you to build on these initial steps by developing, finalizing, and issuing guidance that clearly outlines schools' obligations to protect LGBT students from discrimination under Title IX."

The letter also noted that about three quarters of LGBT students reported being verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation or gender identity, nearly half (49 percent) reported being bullied over the Internet, and more than a third reported being physically harassed or assaulted.

Full text of the letter can be viewed here.

Since his election to Congress in 2009, Rep. Quigley has been a tireless advocate for the LGBT community. In January 2014, he became an original cosponsor of the International Human Rights Defense Act. Previously, he called on Illinois state legislators to pass marriage equality and celebrated when that day came. He is a co-sponsor of the original Respect for Marriage Act of 2009, and has lent his support to the national NOH8 Campaign, a global visual art protest against legislation banning gay marriage. Prior to the Supreme Court overturning the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 2013, Rep. Quigley was a critical opponent of the law and hosted a DOMA field forum to investigate the negative impacts of the law on individuals and families in Chicago. In the fall of 2009, Rep. Quigley was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame for his work as a Cook County Commissioner to extend benefits to LGBT employees.

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