For members of the LGBTQ community—especially those who identify as transgender— the rate of victimization from interpersonal crime and intimate partner violence (IPV) is staggering and alarming. More than 24 percent of undergraduate students identifying as transgender, genderqueer, questioning, or not listed (TGQN) experienced nonconsensual sexual contact. In 2015, the Association of American Universities found that one in four transgender students have experienced sexual assault since enrolling in college. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), lesbian, gay, and bisexual people experience violence at rates much higher than straight people. For instance, among rape victims, 48 percent of bisexual women reported being raped between the ages of 11 and 17 compared to 28 percent of their heterosexual female counterparts. A 2021 study from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law found that transgender people are over four times more likely than cisgender people to experience violent victimization, including rape, sexual assault, and aggravated or simple assault. And these crimes are more prevalent in trans people ages 16 and above. This suggests college administrators, faculty, and staff should be particularly diligent in gathering resources and supporting trans victims of interpersonal crimes. In the article “College Sexual Assault and […]
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights today issued a Notice of Interpretation explaining that it will enforce Title IX’s prohibition on discrimination on the basis of sex to include: (1) discrimination based on sexual orientation; and (2) discrimination based on gender identity. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in any education program or activity offered by a recipient of federal financial assistance. The Department’s interpretation stems from the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in Bostock v. Clayton County, issued one year ago this week, in which the Supreme Court recognized that it is impossible to discriminate against a person based on their sexual orientation or gender identity without discriminating against that person based on sex. “The Supreme Court has upheld the right for LGBTQ+ people to live and work without fear of harassment, exclusion, and discrimination – and our LGBTQ+ students have the same rights and deserve the same protections. I’m proud to have directed the Office for Civil Rights to enforce Title IX to protect all students from all forms of sex discrimination,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Today, the Department makes clear that all […]
Pride month is a time to celebrate the progress in achieving equal rights for the LGBTQ+ community, but we must work to ensure that all members of the LGBTQ+ community receive equality.
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