DeVos loses fight on trans bathrooms to Sessions

We can't quite call Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos a hero, since she ultimately gave in to power, unlike Sally Yates who got fired by Trump for refusing to defend his immigration ban in court.   But DeVos at least took a stand in opposition to Attorney General Jeff Sessions' intention to overturn Obama's guidelines for schools on bathrooms for trans kids.

In doing so, she seemed to understand the plight of kids having to share bathrooms with what feels to them like the opposite sex.   For them, it's the same as a teenage girl having to use the boys' bathroom.  Think about that.

The right-wing lawmakers just don't seem to get this.   They're so fixated on their fantasy of randy men dressing up as women in order to gain access to women or girls in a restroom.   Whoo-eee !!!   Their fantasies must be wild.  Shame on you guys.  That is not the problem.

And its so far from the truth.  A better example for them to consider, since she's become so well known, would be the sexily dressed Caitlyn Jenner.  Which restroom do they think she should use?

Or, rather, the real example they should consider, is the shy, trans girl who severely restricted her intake of fluids so she could get through the school day without having to go to the bathroom, because it was such an uncomfortable experience for her.

In order to rescind Obama's directive, both the Education and the Justice Departments had to approve it.   DeVos initially opposed overturning it, but she was pressured by Sessions.  In the end, President Trump gave his support to his Attorney General.   And DeVos had to give in or . . . ?   So far the track record for displeasing the president seems to be getting fired, like Sally Yates.

Sessions fell back on the old dodge of kicking it down to the state and local people to decide.  What this means is that there is no longer any federal protection for the civil rights of trans people.   Jeff Sessions wins round one in reversing the Obama progress on civil rights.  Just wait until he starts in on not protecting voting rights.

DeVos did ask that the directive include a statement that schools must protect transgender students from bullying.  Whether it remains in the final version remains to be seen.  But she did seem genuinely to understand and to want protection for these kids.  Sessions, on the other hand, seems ready to gut, quite gleefully, any civil rights protections he can get away with.

Ralph