County Executive notes disappointment at move rescinding equal protection
ERIE COUNTY, NY— Today, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz issued the following statement regarding President Trump’s revocation of an Executive Order by President Obama that extended protections for the rights of students identified as transgender. The order was issued in May 2016 and intended by President Obama as a move to stop schools from discriminating against students based on gender identity. Its revocation signals the Trump administration’s move away from protecting transgender individuals, despite these students’ experiencing higher rates of bullying and harassment in schools.
Poloncarz statement: “I am disappointed, though not surprised, by President Trump’s revocation of an order to protect the rights of transgender students. Transgender students face stigma and ridicule for being nothing more than the person they are. They deserve our support, not our scorn, especially in a school setting.
Everyone is entitled to equal protection under the law and we all must embrace orders and laws that prohibit discriminatory actions. Instead of enforcing an order that prohibits discrimination, through this action the president is in effect saying these students are less of a person than others. It is not acceptable. Transgender individuals and we as a nation deserve better.”
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